Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 09:52:39 -0500 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 11/12/96 AIDS Daily Summary November 12, 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 ****************************************************** "Developing AIDS Vaccine a Priority, Shalala Says" "Why Isn't Glaxo's New AIDS Drug Ready Yet?" "It's Health Reference Data (Do Not Take as Medicine)" "Clean Needles and the Crisis in Drug Use" "The Courage to Live With a Disease That Kills" "Portable DNA System Developed" "Victims Once More" "Asides: Pot Republic" "Controlled Trial of Interleukin-2 Infusions in Patients Infected With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus" "McCann Picks Right Outlet to Get Out Message for Durex" ****************************************************** "Developing AIDS Vaccine a Priority, Shalala Says" Washington Post (11/12/96) P. A15 Research into the development of a vaccine for AIDS has become a priority for the Clinton administration, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala told reporters Monday. She made the announcement at the dedication of new AIDS research laboratories in New York. "A vaccine research ought to be at the top of our priority list and we expect over the next month or so to have some things to say in that area," Shalala said. "Why Isn't Glaxo's New AIDS Drug Ready Yet?" Wall Street Journal (11/12/96) P. B1; Waldholz, Michael While the new AIDS drugs known as protease inhibitors became available in less than five years, a drug being developed by Glaxo Wellcome was discovered in 1989 but is not expected to be approved before mid-1998. AIDS activists have been demanding access to the drug, known as 1592, and have charged the company with delaying its development to protect the sales of its older AIDS drugs, AZT and 3TC, whose combined revenue is expected to reach $600 million this year. The new drug is in the same class as the two older drugs, but it is 10 times more powerful than AZT without the side effects. Glaxo contends that additional safety trials are needed before 1592, which is in the second of three phases of clinical trials, can be made available under a "compassionate access" program. "It's Health Reference Data (Do Not Take as Medicine)" New York Times (11/11/96) P. D7; Sreenivasan, Sreenath Patients seeking medical help on the Internet should be cautious to consider what they find there as only information, and not advice. The on-line site of the Journal of the American Medical Association has a section devoted to AIDS, called the JAMA HIV/AIDS Information Center. It includes treatment information, patient support groups, daily updates of AIDS news, and links to information on the epidemic from more than 20 countries. "Clean Needles and the Crisis in Drug Use" Washington Times (11/12/96) P. A23; Walters, John P.; O'Gara, James F.X. Studies have not proven that needle exchange programs actually reduce the spread of HIV, in part because such studies depend on an unreliable population, have no control group, and cannot tease out the different modes of transmission in the subjects, argue John P. Walters and James F.X. O'Gara in an commentary in the Washington Times. Walters, president of the New Citizenship Project, and O'Gara, director of research at the Project, claim that research of the programs has been inconclusive and results have been misrepresented in the news media. "The Courage to Live With a Disease That Kills" Washington Post--Health (11/12/96) P. 6; Trafford, Abigail An individual's battle against an illness is compared to a soldier's experience in combat in a commentary by Abigail Trafford in the Washington Post. The soldier's first experience with gunfire is related to a patient's diagnosis with AIDS, cancer, or another serious illness. Trafford notes that patients often feel shame or denial, which may be felt by a soldier who faces combat with cowardice. A patient, like a soldier facing battle, becomes heroic when he decides to fight the illness. But in the end, soldiers realize they cannot win the war alone, and patients, though they can fight aspects of the disease, will submit to it eventually. "Portable DNA System Developed" Washington Times (11/12/96) P. A16 The first battery-operated, portable DNA testing device could have uses ranging from testing food and water for contamination to identifying human remains on the battlefield, researchers said Monday. The new system, developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been used in experiments to detect HIV in blood samples in less than 20 minutes. The device may also be used to detect cancers and infectious diseases. "Victims Once More" Philadelphia Inquirer (11/11/96) P. A10 Francil J. Stoffa Jr., the former head of Philadelphia's AIDS Task Force, stole from thousands of people with HIV/AIDS when he stole from the organization, according to the editors of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Stoffa pleaded no contest last week to stealing $52,000 from the agency, and avoided a jail sentence on the condition that he repay the money. Fund-raising by local AIDS groups became more difficult after Stoffa was arrested, the writers note, adding that vigilance is needed to protect such charities. "Asides: Pot Republic" Wall Street Journal (11/11/96) P. A16 The law legalizing marijuana in California for medical uses is excessively weak, claims an editorial in the Wall Street Journal. The movement to legalize the drug for medical purposes is being promoted under largely false pretenses, the writers say, noting that supporters of the measure who were smoking the drug at the Democratic National Convention did not look ill. "Controlled Trial of Interleukin-2 Infusions in Patients Infected With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus" New England Journal of Medicine (10/31/96) Vol. 335, No. 18, P. 1350; Kovacs, Joseph A.; Vogel, Susan; Albert, Jeffrey M.; et al. HIV-infected individuals have reduced immunity due to the destruction of CD4 cells, but therapeutic approaches may be able to boost the immune system by preventing, delaying, or reversing this effect. Interleukin-2, a cytokine, is known to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of lymphocytes, including CD4 cells. Dr. Joseph A. Kovacs, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and colleagues, tested infusions of interleukin-2 in a controlled clinical trial of 60 HIV-infected patients. The patients received either interleukin-2 plus antiretroviral therapy, or antiretroviral therapy alone. The researchers report that the patients treated with interleukin-2 showed substantial and sustained increases in CD4 counts with no associated increase viral load. They suggest that this therapy will be especially useful in combination with new drug therapies that suppress viral replication. "McCann Picks Right Outlet to Get Out Message for Durex" Ad Age International (10/96) Vol. 67, No. 42, P. A10; Koranteng, Juliana Commercials aired on MTV in Europe for Durex-brand condoms were so successful at raising awareness of the name, that the condom's maker, London International Group, plans to use the same strategy in its first global campaign. The commercials, which ran in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, featured intimate shots of a young couple making love and conveyed the idea that Durex condoms are sensual, sensitive, and fun. Awareness of the Durex name in Germany among MTV viewers increased from 22 percent to 42 percent, compared with 9 percent to 12 percent among non-MTV viewers. Catherine Taylor, marketing controller for London International Group, said the intent of the campaign was to "reach young adults in Europe in an innovative, cost-effective way." To make the Durex brand name known globally, LIG committed an estimated $48 million to advertising and sponsorship. The name is not known globally, however, because the Durex condom has not been sold everywhere under the same name. The McCann-Erickson agency of London launched the MTV campaign in Europe in May 1995 and began the global campaign in April 1996.