Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 10:06:11 -0500 From: "Sarah Araghi" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 10/30/96 AIDS Daily Summary Wednesday, October 30, 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 ****************************************************** "Medical Marijuana Use Winning Support" "Yet Another Sex Difference Found: Gaining Relief From a Painkiller" "Systemix's Independent Directors Reject Sandoz Offer" "Novatek Asks Bankruptcy Protection" "BioChem Pharma Shares Returning to Health" "Boxing: Principals Discuss the Morrison Bout" "Baring Teeth in the Drug War" "Needle Exchanges Endorsed by Study That Lacks Key Data" "Weed the People" "The 1,000-Year Lawsuit" ****************************************************** "Medical Marijuana Use Winning Support" New York Times (10/30/96) P. A12; Goldberg, Carey Although several U.S. political leaders have criticized the California initiative that would legalize marijuana for medical uses, polls show that voters in the state favor the policy. Proposition 215 would require a "doctor's recommendation" for marijuana use by patients with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, "or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief." Responding to a Field poll on Oct. 9, 57 percent of the state's voters said they would support the measure. Two other polls have revealed similar results, with opposition never exceeding 36 percent. Supporters of strict drug policies fear the initiative would lead to the loosening of marijuana laws. President Clinton's drug chief, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, called the proposal a "falsely labeled, cynical initiative" that would tell teen-agers that "marijuana is medicine." "Yet Another Sex Difference Found: Gaining Relief From a Painkiller" New York Times (10/30/96) P. C12; Angier, Natalie Men and women experience pain very differently, suggest researchers at the University of California in a new study in the November issue of Nature Medicine. Jon D. Levine and colleagues say that clinicians should consider gender when prescribing pain medications. The researchers point to the robust response in women to a class of opiate drugs, compared to the little benefit the drugs had for men. The finding is similar to other unexpected differences between the sexes. For example, women infected with HIV often progress more quickly to AIDS than men. Also, depression is diagnosed more often in women, while men tend to respond better to antidepressants. "Systemix's Independent Directors Reject Sandoz Offer" New York Times (10/30/96) P. D4 Systemix, which develops gene therapies for cancer, AIDS, and genetic diseases, has rejected Sandoz's offer to acquire the rest of the company for about $67 million. Sandoz, which already owns 73 percent of Systemix, made the unsolicited offer in May, spurring a 71 percent rise in Systemix shares. "Novatek Asks Bankruptcy Protection" Baltimore Sun (10/30/96) P. 1C Just a week after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suspended trading of its stock, Novatek International, the Columbia, MD-based medical equipment company, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The SEC said it was evaluating the company's assets and the accuracy of its claims about contracts it had signed for the sale of medical diagnostic kits abroad. In the bankruptcy filing, Novatek said its assets were between $10 million and $99 million, while its liabilities were less than $50,000. "BioChem Pharma Shares Returning to Health" Toronto Globe and Mail (10/29/96) P. B18; Northfield, Stephen A patent dispute over BioChem Pharma's AIDS drug 3TC has brought down the company's stocks, but, thanks to a consensus, BioChem will prevail--combined with strong sales of 3TC--a recovery is underway. The drug, licensed to marketing partner Glaxo Wellcome of Britain in exchange for royalties, has surpassed Glaxo's AZT as the most frequently prescribed AIDS treatment. Last week, BioChem posted a third-quarter profit of $C7.9 million, compared to a loss of $C5.2 million in the same period of the previous year. Expectations for another BioChem product, lamivudine, a treatment for hepatitis B, is keeping the company's stock price high. "Boxing: Principals Discuss the Morrison Bout" New York Times (10/30/96) P. B16 Anthony Cooks, the heavyweight who will fight the HIV-positive boxer Tommy Morrison on Sunday in Japan, told the match's referee, Frank Garza, that he finally told his girlfriend he was going to fight Morrison. "She just told me to be careful, and she would pray for me," Cooks said. Garza said he views his participation in the fight as a chance to further AIDS awareness. Cooks said he is fighting Morrison because he needs the money. "Baring Teeth in the Drug War" New York Times (10/30/96) P. A21; Shenk, Joshua Wolf In a column in the New York Times, Joshua Wolf Shenk, a writer for the Economist, lists the differences between current drug-fighting proposals offered by President Clinton and those offered by Ronald Reagan as President in 1986. Clinton's proposals are much more severe, Shenk says, because the drug problem is more serious. He notes that alternatives to the "get-tough" strategies have not been tried. Furthermore, he points out that 67 percent of this year's anti-drug funding is supporting interdiction and law enforcement, while spending on drug treatment has increased only slightly during Clinton's administration. Shenk asserts, moreover, that there has been virtually no support for needle exchange programs, methadone programs for heroin users, and for those that offer counseling to users at a high risk of contracting HIV and other diseases. "Needle Exchanges Endorsed by Study That Lacks Key Data" Washington Times (10/28/96) P. A3; Trotta, Liz Although a new study has concluded that New York City's needle exchange program significantly reduced the rate of AIDS among drug users, critics note that a large number of drug users withdrew from the four-year program and are not accounted for in the final report. The study, led by Don Des Jarlais of Beth Israel Medical Center and published in the Lancet, found that the annual HIV rate among program participants was 1.6 percent, while the rate among non-participants was three times higher. There is no mention of how many people were "lost to follow-up," or withdrew from the study. The report noted that the study was not randomized, "so a causal link between participation in syringe exchange and lower HIV incidence cannot be inferred from our findings." Jack Hartigan, a lawyer and activist who opposed the program, said "the fact is the author originally enrolled thousands of participants in their needles-exchange evaluation and 95 percent of those people eventually disappeared." The New York needle-exchange program receives $1.5 million in state aid, $800,000 in federal aid, and up to $1 million from the American Foundation for AIDS Research. "Weed the People" People (10/21/96) Vol. 46, No. 17, P. 75; Rist, Curtis; Harrison, Laird Dennis Peron, who founded San Francisco's Cannabis Buyers' Club and is leading the effort to legalize the medical use of marijuana in California, said he came to appreciate the drug's medical value when his lover, Jonathon West, was sick with AIDS. Marijuana improved West's appetite and reduced his pain, he said. Peron, who is also HIV-positive, then took up the cause of medical legalization in memory of West, who died in 1990. According to Harvard Medical School's Dr. Lester Grinspoon, marijuana is "a wonder drug." Eric Voth, of Kansas City's International Drug Strategy Institute, however, claims the drug's toxicity outweighs its benefits. A ballot initiative for medical legalization will be decided by California voters in November. A recent poll found that residents favored Proposition 215 two to one. Peron opened the Cannabis Buyers' Club in 1991 after voters approved his proposal. City officials overlooked the selling of the drug, but in August state officials raided the facility and confiscated 150 pounds of marijuana and $60,000 cash. A restraining order was issued to keep the club closed. "The 1,000-Year Lawsuit" Forbes (10/21/96) Vol. 158, No. 10, P. 166; Adams, Susan Harold Nix, a lawyer representing 3,328 people in a lawsuit who claim they were infected with "chemical AIDS" while working in a Texas steel plant, says the suit is a means for him to help the poor. Nix says the condition, which has never been recognized by the medical community, was caused by a large toxic cloud that "hovered ominously" over the Lone Star Steel plant in Morris County for 40 years. Nix filed the lawsuit in 1987, naming 538 defendants, including the company that supplied the hand soap used in the plant's bathrooms. Routine medical exams of Nix's clients found that, while 40 percent had medical problems, no evidence has been presented to link the problems to work at the plant. However, Nix's law firm has earned $27 million in legal fees from the Lone Star cases, and has been hired for similar suits. About 200 of the defendants have already settled for a total of $70 million over the still-unproved charges. In May 1995, Texas' Supreme Court criticized the handling of the case by the local judge and demanded that the plaintiffs answer questions about their alleged illnesses. Since that time, no additional defendants have reported plans to offer settlements, and 1,800 plaintiffs may be dropped from the suit for failing to give basic information. THE END AIDS Daily Summary Wednesday, October 30, 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 ****************************************************** "Medical Marijuana Use Winning Support" "Yet Another Sex Difference Found: Gaining Relief From a Painkiller" "Systemix's Independent Directors Reject Sandoz Offer" "Novatek Asks Bankruptcy Protection" "BioChem Pharma Shares Returning to Health" "Boxing: Principals Discuss the Morrison Bout" "Baring Teeth in the Drug War" "Needle Exchanges Endorsed by Study That Lacks Key Data" "Weed the People" "The 1,000-Year Lawsuit" ****************************************************** "Medical Marijuana Use Winning Support" New York Times (10/30/96) P. A12; Goldberg, Carey Although several U.S. political leaders have criticized the California initiative that would legalize marijuana for medical uses, polls show that voters in the state favor the policy. Proposition 215 would require a "doctor's recommendation" for marijuana use by patients with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, "or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief." Responding to a Field poll on Oct. 9, 57 percent of the state's voters said they would support the measure. Two other polls have revealed similar results, with opposition never exceeding 36 percent. Supporters of strict drug policies fear the initiative would lead to the loosening of marijuana laws. President Clinton's drug chief, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, called the proposal a "falsely labeled, cynical initiative" that would tell teen-agers that "marijuana is medicine." "Yet Another Sex Difference Found: Gaining Relief From a Painkiller" New York Times (10/30/96) P. C12; Angier, Natalie Men and women experience pain very differently, suggest researchers at the University of California in a new study in the November issue of Nature Medicine. Jon D. Levine and colleagues say that clinicians should consider gender when prescribing pain medications. The researchers point to the robust response in women to a class of opiate drugs, compared to the little benefit the drugs had for men. The finding is similar to other unexpected differences between the sexes. For example, women infected with HIV often progress more quickly to AIDS than men. Also, depression is diagnosed more often in women, while men tend to respond better to antidepressants. "Systemix's Independent Directors Reject Sandoz Offer" New York Times (10/30/96) P. D4 Systemix, which develops gene therapies for cancer, AIDS, and genetic diseases, has rejected Sandoz's offer to acquire the rest of the company for about $67 million. Sandoz, which already owns 73 percent of Systemix, made the unsolicited offer in May, spurring a 71 percent rise in Systemix shares. "Novatek Asks Bankruptcy Protection" Baltimore Sun (10/30/96) P. 1C Just a week after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suspended trading of its stock, Novatek International, the Columbia, MD-based medical equipment company, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The SEC said it was evaluating the company's assets and the accuracy of its claims about contracts it had signed for the sale of medical diagnostic kits abroad. In the bankruptcy filing, Novatek said its assets were between $10 million and $99 million, while its liabilities were less than $50,000. "BioChem Pharma Shares Returning to Health" Toronto Globe and Mail (10/29/96) P. B18; Northfield, Stephen A patent dispute over BioChem Pharma's AIDS drug 3TC has brought down the company's stocks, but, thanks to a consensus, BioChem will prevail--combined with strong sales of 3TC--a recovery is underway. The drug, licensed to marketing partner Glaxo Wellcome of Britain in exchange for royalties, has surpassed Glaxo's AZT as the most frequently prescribed AIDS treatment. Last week, BioChem posted a third-quarter profit of $C7.9 million, compared to a loss of $C5.2 million in the same period of the previous year. Expectations for another BioChem product, lamivudine, a treatment for hepatitis B, is keeping the company's stock price high. "Boxing: Principals Discuss the Morrison Bout" New York Times (10/30/96) P. B16 Anthony Cooks, the heavyweight who will fight the HIV-positive boxer Tommy Morrison on Sunday in Japan, told the match's referee, Frank Garza, that he finally told his girlfriend he was going to fight Morrison. "She just told me to be careful, and she would pray for me," Cooks said. Garza said he views his participation in the fight as a chance to further AIDS awareness. Cooks said he is fighting Morrison because he needs the money. "Baring Teeth in the Drug War" New York Times (10/30/96) P. A21; Shenk, Joshua Wolf In a column in the New York Times, Joshua Wolf Shenk, a writer for the Economist, lists the differences between current drug-fighting proposals offered by President Clinton and those offered by Ronald Reagan as President in 1986. Clinton's proposals are much more severe, Shenk says, because the drug problem is more serious. He notes that alternatives to the "get-tough" strategies have not been tried. Furthermore, he points out that 67 percent of this year's anti-drug funding is supporting interdiction and law enforcement, while spending on drug treatment has increased only slightly during Clinton's administration. Shenk asserts, moreover, that there has been virtually no support for needle exchange programs, methadone programs for heroin users, and for those that offer counseling to users at a high risk of contracting HIV and other diseases. "Needle Exchanges Endorsed by Study That Lacks Key Data" Washington Times (10/28/96) P. A3; Trotta, Liz Although a new study has concluded that New York City's needle exchange program significantly reduced the rate of AIDS among drug users, critics note that a large number of drug users withdrew from the four-year program and are not accounted for in the final report. The study, led by Don Des Jarlais of Beth Israel Medical Center and published in the Lancet, found that the annual HIV rate among program participants was 1.6 percent, while the rate among non-participants was three times higher. There is no mention of how many people were "lost to follow-up," or withdrew from the study. The report noted that the study was not randomized, "so a causal link between participation in syringe exchange and lower HIV incidence cannot be inferred from our findings." Jack Hartigan, a lawyer and activist who opposed the program, said "the fact is the author originally enrolled thousands of participants in their needles-exchange evaluation and 95 percent of those people eventually disappeared." The New York needle-exchange program receives $1.5 million in state aid, $800,000 in federal aid, and up to $1 million from the American Foundation for AIDS Research. "Weed the People" People (10/21/96) Vol. 46, No. 17, P. 75; Rist, Curtis; Harrison, Laird Dennis Peron, who founded San Francisco's Cannabis Buyers' Club and is leading the effort to legalize the medical use of marijuana in California, said he came to appreciate the drug's medical value when his lover, Jonathon West, was sick with AIDS. Marijuana improved West's appetite and reduced his pain, he said. Peron, who is also HIV-positive, then took up the cause of medical legalization in memory of West, who died in 1990. According to Harvard Medical School's Dr. Lester Grinspoon, marijuana is "a wonder drug." Eric Voth, of Kansas City's International Drug Strategy Institute, however, claims the drug's toxicity outweighs its benefits. A ballot initiative for medical legalization will be decided by California voters in November. A recent poll found that residents favored Proposition 215 two to one. Peron opened the Cannabis Buyers' Club in 1991 after voters approved his proposal. City officials overlooked the selling of the drug, but in August state officials raided the facility and confiscated 150 pounds of marijuana and $60,000 cash. A restraining order was issued to keep the club closed. "The 1,000-Year Lawsuit" Forbes (10/21/96) Vol. 158, No. 10, P. 166; Adams, Susan Harold Nix, a lawyer representing 3,328 people in a lawsuit who claim they were infected with "chemical AIDS" while working in a Texas steel plant, says the suit is a means for him to help the poor. Nix says the condition, which has never been recognized by the medical community, was caused by a large toxic cloud that "hovered ominously" over the Lone Star Steel plant in Morris County for 40 years. Nix filed the lawsuit in 1987, naming 538 defendants, including the company that supplied the hand soap used in the plant's bathrooms. Routine medical exams of Nix's clients found that, while 40 percent had medical problems, no evidence has been presented to link the problems to work at the plant. However, Nix's law firm has earned $27 million in legal fees from the Lone Star cases, and has been hired for similar suits. About 200 of the defendants have already settled for a total of $70 million over the still-unproved charges. In May 1995, Texas' Supreme Court criticized the handling of the case by the local judge and demanded that the plaintiffs answer questions about their alleged illnesses. Since that time, no additional defendants have reported plans to offer settlements, and 1,800 plaintiffs may be dropped from the suit for failing to give basic information.