Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 11/07/96

From: "Flynn Mclean" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 1996 12:17:23 -0500

AIDS Daily Summary 
                      November 7, 1996

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National
AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a
public service only. Providing this information does not
constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC National AIDS
Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this
text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this
information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

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"For First Time, Drug 'Cocktail' Seems to Eliminate HIV in its 
Hiding Places"
"Dispensing Needles, Not Judgment"
"Feared Drug Is Subject of New Interest"
"AIDS Group's Ex-Boss Enters No-Contest Plea"
"New Pot Law Brings Turmoil, Concerns"
"Blood Brothers"
"Nasdaq Drops Novatek"
"UPI Science News"
"AIDS Rates"
"Court: ADA Doesn't Apply to Ex-Workers"
******************************************************
 
"For First Time, Drug 'Cocktail' Seems to Eliminate HIV in its 
Hiding Places"
Wall Street Journal (11/07/96) P. B8; Waldholz, Michael
     A new combination of drugs is capable of eliminating all 
detectable levels of HIV in the body tissues where it is known to
reside, researchers say.  Previous studies have shown that the 
drugs can reduce the level of HIV in the bloodstream, but the 
virus is also known to hide in the tonsils, lymph nodes, spinal 
fluid, and semen.  Sven Danner, of the University of Amsterdam, 
and colleagues, report that six patients given a combination of 
Glaxo Wellcome's AZT and 3TC and Abbott Laboratories' protease 
inhibitor Norvir had no sign of HIV in their tonsil tissue after 
six months of treatment.  A separate study found that the 
combination of AZT, 3TC, and Boehringer Ingelheim's drug Viramune
had a similar impact on HIV in the lymph tissue of patients who 
had no detectable HIV in their blood.
     
"Dispensing Needles, Not Judgment"
New York Times (11/07/96) P. B21; Martin, Douglas
     The needle exchange van in East Harlem, like the six others
in New York City, offers clients free syringes and other drug 
injecting equipment as well as a place to feel connected and 
supported.  Studies have shown that the programs, which have 
received state support for more than two years, have reduced the 
rate of new HIV cases by half among New York City's intravenous 
drug users.  Despite the needle-exchange programs, however, a 
black market for the needles exists in New York because it is 
illegal to buy hypodermic needles there without a prescription.  
On one day, nearly 300 people had visited the van from which the 
needles are dispensed.  Clients carry identification cards to 
protect them from prosecution.  Free condoms and medical and 
legal services are also offered.
     
"Feared Drug Is Subject of New Interest"
Philadelphia Inquirer (11/07/96) P. A13; Cimons, Marlene
     The drug thalidomide, which caused serious birth defects
when used to treat nausea in Canada, Britain, and West Germany 40
years ago, has potential as a treatment for AIDS and cancer 
patients.  A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is 
meeting today and tomorrow to consider the drug's uses.  
Thalidomide has shown promise against such AIDS-related 
conditions as mouth ulcers and wasting.
     
"AIDS Group's Ex-Boss Enters No-Contest Plea"
Philadelphia Inquirer (11/07/96) P. B1
     The former director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force
pleaded no contest on Wednesday to charges that he stole $52,000
from the organization. He was sentenced to four years' probation
and ordered to repay the money. Francis J. Stoffa Jr., who was 
accused by a grand jury in March 1995 of embezzling from the 
group and their parent organization, the AIDS Task Force, over a 
seven-year period, resigned in April 1994.
     
"New Pot Law Brings Turmoil, Concerns"
Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (11/07/96) P. B1; Bailey, 
Eric
     The approval of a California ballot initiative to legalize
the use of marijuana for medical purposes has raised concerns
among state and federal law enforcement officials. The
proposition, which allows doctors to recommend marijuana to treat
various conditions, passed on Tuesday with 56 percent support. 
While officials at the California Medical Association expressed
worries that doctors could be persecuted for prescribing the
drug, they were also hopeful that the new law would result in the
approval of clinical research to study the drug's potential as a
medical treatment. Supporters of the initiative have announced
plans to put the proposal on the ballot in other states in 1998
and to seek congressional support next year.
     
"Blood Brothers"
Financial Times (11/07/96) P. 12
     While the risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis from a blood 
transfusion has grown very small since the tainted-blood 
incidents of the 1980s, the emergence of synthetic blood is 
expected to remove any residual fears of disease. Six U.S. 
companies--Baxter, Enzon, Northfield Laboratories, Biopure, DNX, 
and Somatogen--are currently testing blood substitutes and Baxter
and Northfield will begin clinical trials soon. Company surveys 
have shown that both doctors and patients are receptive to trying
the new products. Synthetic blood is not a complete substitute 
for blood, but it may offer a temporary replacement during times 
of excessive blood loss. Synthetic blood also has a longer shelf
life than donated blood and is expected to be useful for 
emergencies and when donated blood supplies are low.
     
"Nasdaq Drops Novatek"
Washington Times (11/07/96) P. B12
     Novatek, the Columbia, Md., medical supplier being
investigated for fraud, has been removed from the Nasdaq stock
exchange. Trading in the company was stopped on Oct. 11 because
of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. 
Novatek has since filed for bankruptcy protection.
     
"UPI Science News"
United Press International (11/06/96); Bovsun, Mara
     New research may help explain why some babies born with HIV
die within 2 years and others can live for 10 years without 
developing symptoms. Andre J. Nahmias, of Emory University, and 
colleagues, report in the New England Journal of Medicine that,
in some babies, HIV destroys the thymus, a gland needed to
develop the babies' immune system.

"AIDS Rates"
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/25/96) Vol. 45, No. 42,
P. 926
     Among U.S. metropolitan areas, New York City had the highest
number of AIDS cases per 100,000 people for the reporting period 
of July 1995 to June 1996, according to the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention. The city's AIDS rate was 132 per 
100,000, followed by Miami, with 117.3; Jersey City, N.J., with 
115.2; San Francisco, with 109.8; and Fort Lauderdale, with 86.7.
The AIDS rate for the city of Washington, D.C., was 188.5 per 
100,000, though the level for the D.C. metropolitan area was 
45.8.  By state, New York also led in AIDS cases for the period, 
with 73.1 per 100,000 people, followed by New Jersey with 50.3, 
Connecticut with 46.8, Maryland with 45.5, and Delaware with 
44.6.
     
"Court: ADA Doesn't Apply to Ex-Workers"
Crain's Detroit Business (10/21/96) Vol. 12, No. 43, P. 28; 
Cowans, Deborah
     In a decision stemming from a lawsuit brought by the estate
of a Hardee's employee who died of AIDS, a U.S. appellate court
has ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply
to former employees. Timothy Bourgeois was working at a Hardee's
restaurant owned by Garner Food Services (GFS) when he was 
diagnosed with AIDS in 1991. He was covered by GFS' group health
insurance plan, which included a maximum lifetime benefit of $1 
million.  Bourgeois left the company after his diagnosis, but 
elected to continue his health-care coverage.  In Oct. 1991, 
however, the GFS plan was changed to limit AIDS-related coverage 
to $10,000 a year, with a lifetime cap of $40,000. Bourgeois 
died in 1992, after incurring about $90,000 in health care claims
beyond the company-imposed limit. A discrimination case brought 
by August Gonzales, administrator of Bourgeois' estate, was 
dismissed by a U.S. District Court in Atlanta. GFS and Gonzales 
agreed that AIDS is a disability recognized by the ADA, but the 
definition of "employee" was disputed. The 11th U.S. Circuit 
Court of Appeals in Atlanta agreed with GFS that former employees
are not covered by the act.