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1994-06-10
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AIDS Daily Summary
June 08, 1994
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 Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
************************************************************
"AIDS Vaccine Research Misleading, Group Alleges"
"City Adds an AIDS Specialist"
"AIDS Activist Enters D.C. Mayor's Race"
"The Reliable Source"
"Obituaries: Cindy Gibson, Frederick Co. Student Whose Mission
Was to Speak on AIDS"
"German Institute Under Fire Over HIV-Blood Reports"
"Court Crackdown on HIV"
"Albuquerque Forbids Bigotry"
"HIV Screening in Pregnancy: UK Lags"
"AIDS Drug From Merck"
************************************************************
"AIDS Vaccine Research Misleading, Group Alleges"
Washington Post (06/08/94) P. A11; Schwartz, John
Public Citizen's Health Research, a consumer health group,
yesterday accused a key military researcher of manipulating data
to give his research on the controversial gp160 experimental AIDS
vaccine a favorable twist. After receiving a letter from Sidney
M. Wolfe, the organization's director, Rep. Henry A. Waxman
(D-Calif.) said he would reopen an investigation on the
researchers, the vaccine, and its manufacturer, Connecticut-based
MicroGeneSys. Robert Redfield, chief of the department of
retroviral research at the Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research, previously admitted that his analysis of the gp160 data
was flawed, but was cleared of scientific misconduct charges.
"City Adds an AIDS Specialist"
Philadelphia Inquirer (06/08/94) P. B3; Collins, Huntly
In July, 38-year-old Erica Gollub will assume Philadelphia's
long-vacant title of AIDS epidemiologist, a position viewed as
crucial in tracking the epidemic there. Gollub, a New York
epidemiologist affiliated with Columbia University and an expert
on women and AIDS, will be responsible for collecting and
analyzing statistics about AIDS cases in the Philadelphia area.
Accurate statistical data is key in pinpointing high-risk groups
for AIDS prevention programs, assessing the effectiveness of the
programs, and determining whether the city receives a just
portion of federal AIDS funding. Gollub will bring with her a
$200,000 federal grant through which she will compare different
prevention strategies to reach women at high risk for HIV
infection.
"AIDS Activist Enters D.C. Mayor's Race"
Washington Post (06/08/94) P. D7; Henderson, Nell
Luke Sissyfag, a Washington, D.C., AIDS activist known for his
consistent public heckling of President Clinton, announced
yesterday that he will run as a political independent for mayor
of the nation's capital. Sissyfag, who has criticized Clinton,
D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly, and the federal government for not
doing enough to prevent the spread of AIDS and find a cure for
the disease, says his goal is to force the other candidates and
the voters to focus attention on the epidemic. Kelly, he
asserts, has failed in her condom distribution programs for high
schools and prisons, as well as in her needle exchange program.
"The Reliable Source"
Washington Post (06/08/94) P. C3; Romano, Lois
Jonathan Demme and Edward Saxon, who produced the film
"Philadelphia," and Rep. Nancy Pelosi will receive National
Leadership Awards next week from the AIDS Action Foundation for
their commitment to fighting AIDS.
"Obituaries: Cindy Gibson, Frederick Co. Student Whose Mission
Was to Speak on AIDS"
Baltimore Sun (06/08/94) P. 5B; Tasker, Greg
Cindy M. Gibson, an HIV-infected teenager in Frederick County,
Md., who had embarked on a crusade to warn other young people
about AIDS, died Saturday of related complications. Gibson
became infected in 1984 during a blood transfusion, and began
talking publicly about AIDS-related illnesses in 1991. As a
youth speaker for the National Association of People with AIDS,
she spoke about the disease before dozens of high school and
community groups in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Two
days after Gibson's death, her name was called during graduation
ceremonies at Brunswick High School. Classmates and audience
members gave a standing ovation, and her brother accepted the
diploma. Related Story: Washington Times (06/08) P. C4
"German Institute Under Fire Over HIV-Blood Reports"
Nature (05/05/94) Vol. 369, No. 6475, P. 7; Abbott, Alison
Reinhard Kurth, head of the Paul Ehrlich Institute for Sera and
Vaccines in Langen, Germany, was blasted for accepting "six
figure sums" from pharmaceutical firms for preparing reports on
techniques to inactivate HIV in blood products. In the early
1980s, the institute was the only one in Germany with wide
experience with retroviruses, and was approached by blood product
manufacturers concerned about HIV infection for advice. Between
1984 and 1985, Kurth and his colleagues--with the approval of the
health ministry--prepared reports about the inactivation of HIV
in blood products for Behring, Armour Pharma, Immuno, DRK
Institute Springe, and the Red Cross Blood Bank. Kurth and
German health minister Horst Seehofer said that DM90,000 had been
received for the work--one-fifth of which went to the ministry
and the remainder of which was divided among Kurth and his five
co-workers. But, according to Horst Schmidbauer, health
spokesman for the Social Democratic Party, more money was
involved. Furthermore, he argues, the ministry should not have
allowed researchers paid from public funds to work for private
companies. Kurth denies all accusations and has filed a libel
lawsuit against Schmidbauer. In the meanwhile, Seehofer has
announced that he will shut down the Bundesgesundheitamt (BGA),
six health institutes directly responsible to the health
ministry.
"Court Crackdown on HIV"
Advocate (05/17/94) No. 655, P. 21
In early February, a Miami jury cited HIV as a deadly weapon in
the court conviction of an infected rapist for attempted murder.
Since that ruling, other jurisdictions have followed the
decision. Prosecutors in Spokane, Wash., said they upgraded
charges against 26-year-old Jeffrey D. Walker from first-degree
assault to first-degree murder. Walker, who is accused of
intentionally exposing a woman to HIV through unprotected sex,
faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. And in
Jacksonville, Fla., 23-year-old Shawn Boswell pleaded guilty to
attempted second-degree murder for having unsafe sex with a woman
after learning that he was infected with HIV. Boswell received a
4 1/2-year sentence.
"Albuquerque Forbids Bigotry"
Advocate (05/17/94) No. 655, P. 22
An executive order issued March 30 by Albuquerque Mayor Martin
Chavez prohibited anti-gay and AIDS-based discrimination in
municipal employment or by city contractors. "The problems we
have as a community are too great to exclude anyone," Chavez
remarked.
"HIV Screening in Pregnancy: UK Lags"
Lancet (05/07/94) Vol. 343, No. 8906, P. 1113; Banatvala, J.E.;
Chrystie, I.L.
The results of 1991 HIV testing among pregnant women in London
revealed that 1 in 500 women attending certain antenatal clinics
were infected, and 75 percent of them did not know or did not
inform health care providers that they were infected. It was
also becoming increasingly clear that the advantages of knowing
the HIV status of a mother and her baby outweighed the potential
disadvantages. In light of this information, the Department of
Health issued guidelines advising that HIV testing be made
available to pregnant women in areas of "known or suspected
higher prevalance of HIV infection." In 1991, only 8 of 296
hospital-based antenatal clinics--3 in Scotland and 5 in
London--offered HIV tests to all pregnant women. By 1993, one
year after the guidelines were released, that number had sunk to
4, although more centers were considering offering the test. The
lack of antenatal HIV screening in the U.K. contrasts with other
countries. Although testing is available on request in most
antenatal clinics in Britain, various factors contribute to the
poor response to the Department of Health's recommendations, the
first of which is cost. The department took into account money
for lab testing, training programs, and counseling, but failed to
include the expenses for manpower and space requirements.
Another reason is the fact that many staff still believe that HIV
testing is not worthwhile. They should be reassured by the
results of a multi-center trial of HIV-infected mothers who cut
the risk of transmitting the virus to their babies by two-thirds
by taking AZT. Nonetheless, the HIV program requires
considerably more resources and stands little chance of
implementation unless additional funds are forthcoming.
"AIDS Drug From Merck"
Chemical & Engineering News (05/16/94) Vol. 72, No. 20, P. 6;
Stinson, Stephen
If Merck & Co.'s drug for AIDS proves successful, the company may
have to design a manufacturing program where the cost of
production would relate to marketing the remedy. Paul J. Reider,
executive director of process research, contends that Merck
chemists have created a low-cost, high-yield process to make the
drug, a blocker of a key enzyme in HIV. Right now, Merck has the
drug in Phase II/III clinical trials of many AIDS patients.
Manufacturers need a dependable, high-yield process to prevent
interruption of drug supplies. Pharmaceutical shortages could
lead to relapses in AIDS patients and drug-resistant strains of
HIV. According to Paul van Eikeren, vice president for research
and development at Sepracor, AIDS drugs such as Merck's require
the patient to ingest a maximum of 3 grams daily, or about 1
kilogram per person annually. Merck could need to produce
thousands of metric tons each year to provide enough of the drug
to treat the estimated 13 million cases of HIV in the world.
Other blockbuster drugs only require 50 to 150 metric tons
annually. Therefore, Merck's production costs could prove
paramount while the price of the drug must remain low.