AIDS Daily Summary December 7, 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 ************************************************************ "A Chance to Talk Openly" "On the Fridge" "Hunt in Forests of Borneo Aims to Track Down Natural Drugs" "Dr. David E. Rogers, 68, a Leader in Medical Education and the Fight on AIDS, Dies" "AIDS-Day Reports Dodged the Truth" "Viagene Initiates World's First Efficacy Study of a Gene Transfer Product" "Medarex Receives Approval to Begin AIDS Study in France" "Phase I/II Trial Results of Immunogen's Oncolysin (R)B in AIDS Lymphoma Reported at Am. Society of Hematology--Subsequent Study Under Way" "Randomised Trial of Thiacetazone and Rifampicin-Containing Regimens for Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Ugandans" "Protease Inhibitors--Task Force Proposed" ************************************************************ "A Chance to Talk Openly" Washington Post (12/07/94) P. A1; O'Harrow Jr., Robert Critics say that Virginia Gov. George Allen's proposal to make sex education an option for local school systems would give the state one of the most conservative sex education policies in the country. There would also be a great difference in what school districts teach. Many parents, students, and teachers are worried that the plan--to be considered by the General Assembly next year--will lead to an information gap among teenagers at a time when AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy are rampant. In announcing his plan, Allen said he wanted to put more focus on core subjects and he wanted to give parents a hand in preventing children from being taught values that are different from their own. The plan would not eliminate health classes, but critics are worried that without a state regulation, the most controversial topics would not be presented. In defense of the current sex education program--which some say imposes too many questionable values on students--one father noted that many parents are not comfortable talking about topics such as AIDS or sex. The children are often just as uncomfortable, he added. "On the Fridge" Washington Post (12/07/94) P. E3 Quartermaine's in the Washington, D.C., area will donate all proceeds from the sale of its Jamaican eastern Blue Mountain coffee to two local charities: the D.C. Central Kitchen, which prepares food for the homeless, and Food & Friends, which provides free fresh meals to homebound people with HIV/AIDS. "Hunt in Forests of Borneo Aims to Track Down Natural Drugs" New York Times (12/06/94) P. C4; Shenon, Philip Reports from the National Cancer Institute indicate that a substance found in a Malaysian tree called Calophyllum lanigerum destroys HIV in a test tube without killing healthy cells. The material is now being tested on mice at the institute. Extracts from a gum tree in the Borneo jungle, a vine found in West Africa, and a shrub native to western Australia are also being tested on animals for their potential as anti-HIV agents. To date, the institutes natural-products program has identified two cancer agents, both from the sea. "Dr. David E. Rogers, 68, a Leader in Medical Education and the Fight on AIDS, Dies" New York Times (12/06/94) P. D23; Altman, Lawrence K. Leading scientist, medical educator, and co-chairman of the National Commission on AIDS, Dr. David E. Rogers, died of colon cancer at age 68 on Monday. Despite his illness, Rogers left the hospital last Friday to receive an award from the Visiting Nurse Service of New York for his national leadership role in fighting AIDS and other infectious diseases and for the innovations in the way foundations made health grants. Rogers was a strong advocate for protecting the confidentiality of AIDS patients. As head of the $1.2 billion Robert Wood Johnson Foundation from 1972 until 1987, he was credited with creating the most systematic evaluation of projects of any foundation and brought new standards of accountability and evaluation to the programs. Rogers is survived by his wife and three children. "AIDS-Day Reports Dodged the Truth" Toronto Globe and Mail (12/05/94) P. C2; Coren, Michael While many stories on World AIDS Day spoke of how hard AIDS has hit the artists of the world, for an overwhelming majority, their sexuality was neglected, writes Michael Coren in an editorial. Coren questions why this important aspect was omitted because the media are not unaware of the fact; they do not assume that the readers already know of it; and it is not because they believe sexual inclination is irrelevant. Although ad campaigns, health activists, and news organizations repeatedly state that AIDS is not confined to any one group, the reality in North America and Europe is that gay men are the one community that has been devastated. There is a fear of stereotyping or marginalizing, but it is journalism's duty to report the truth. It is doubtful that avoiding mentioning the homosexuality of the artists who have died of AIDS will spare the artist's memories, their relatives, and the public from grief. The truth is fundamental, concludes Coren. "Viagene Initiates World's First Efficacy Study of a Gene Transfer Product" PR Newswire (12/05/94) Viagene, Inc. has initiated the world's first phase II study of a gene transfer product, HIV-IT (V), which is used to treat HIV infection. "This is the largest and the most clinically advanced gene transfer study ever to be initiated and should clearly signal that gene therapy is today's, rather than tomorrow's, technology," said Robert T. Abbott, president and CEO of Viagene. The placebo-controlled triple-blinded study of approximately 190 HIV-infected participants will use a random dose of HIV-IT (V), which will be randomly assigned within three treatment levels based on CD4 cell counts. Expected to lead to a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response, HIV-IT (V) is a non-replicating murine retrovector designed to deliver the env and the rev genes of HIV-1 to healthy non-HIV-infected cells. Thus far, the product has been used in four phase I studies without any adverse product-related effects. "Medarex Receives Approval to Begin AIDS Study in France" Business Wire (12/05/94) Medarex Inc. announced on Monday that France's Agence du Medicament has given it permission to commence Phase I/II studies of its AIDS Bispecific MDX-240 in France. The French studies, under the direction of Jean-Louis Pasquali, will join ongoing studies in Brussels. Pasquali is a professor of clinical immunology at Hopital Universitaire in Strasbourg. Pre-clinical studies have shown that MDX-240 triggers the killing function of immune cells, causing the destruction of HIV and infected cells. "Phase I/II Trial Results of Immunogen's Oncolysin (R)B in AIDS Lymphoma Reported at Am. Society of Hematology--Subsequent Study Under Way" PR Newswire (12/05/94) Results of Phase I/II studies of ImmunoGen Inc.'s Oncolysin B were reported on Monday at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology. The data showed that Oncolysin B was well tolerated as an adjunct to conventional chemotherapy in patients with AIDS-related lymphoma. The principal investigator in the Phase I/II studies was David T. Scadden of Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School. ImmunoGen has now launched a pilot study to further examine the drug in this application and other studies are currently underway to test the drug against lymphoma and leukemia. "Randomised Trial of Thiacetazone and Rifampicin-Containing Regimens for Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Ugandans" Lancet (11/12/94) Vol. 344, No. 8933, P. 1323; Okwera, A.; Whalen, C.; Byekwaso, F. et al In a randomized clinical trial of HIV-infected patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, researchers studied the safety and short-term efficacy of thiacetazone and rifampicin-containing regimens. Thiacetazone has been associated with cutaneous hypersensitivity and recurrent tuberculosis among HIV-positive patients receiving treatment for active tuberculosis. A total of 191 HIV-positive adult Ugandan participants with acid-fast bacilli sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis received isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide for two months followed by isoniazid and rifampicin for seven months (a regimen known as RHZ) or streptomycin, thiacetazone, and isoniazid for two months followed by thiacetazone and isoniazid for 10 months (a regimen called STH). The overall one-year rate of survival for the two regimens was similar but the relative risk of death for STH compared to RHZ--when controlled for baseline differences in Mantoux reaction size and absolute lymphocyte count--was 1.57. A greater percentage of RHZ patients compared to STH patients had sterilized their sputum within two months. The researchers recommend that rifampicin-containing regimens be given to HIV-infected patients in developing countries to reduce drug toxicity and to extend survival. "Protease Inhibitors--Task Force Proposed" AIDS Treatment News (11/04/94) No. 210, P. 1 While attending October's meeting of the National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development, New York AIDS activist Jules Levin proposed the establishment of a high-level task force on protease inhibitors. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner David A. Kessler and Philip R. Lee, Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, both strongly supported the suggestion. Dr. Kessler proposed a special meeting of the National Task Force in early 1995 devoted solely to protease inhibitors and said that their development is the most important work the National Task Force can do now. Some of the issues that Levin suggested for the Protease Task Force include potential drug interactions between the protease inhibitors and other medications used by AIDS patients, what markers of safety and efficacy will be used in trials, and the need for expanded access for those with more advanced HIV.