AIDS Daily Summary July 20, 1995 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Sneak Attack on AIDS Research" "Mary Fisher's Message Goes to the Masses" "Blood Stain: A Drug From Baxter Is Said to Have Posed a Risk of Hepatitis" "Surplus Funds Not Used for AIDS Blood Tests" "AIDS Focus of TD Insurance Battle" "Dutch Government to Pay "Bad Blood" HIV Victims" "Magic Johnson Says He Won't Play in NBA Again" "Shionogi Beefs Up Drug R&D to Cure Ailing Performance" "New TB Cases Drop; Local Programs Cited" "Nevirapine: Ethical Dilemmas and Care for HIV-Infected Mothers" ************************************************************ "Sneak Attack on AIDS Research" New York Times (07/20/95) P. A23; Baltimore, David; Ho, David Sen. Jesse Helms' (R-N.C.) comments about federal AIDS funding caused a furor earlier this month, but a more menacing congressional attack on federal financing for AIDS research has largely gone unnoticed, write Nobel Prize winner David Baltimore of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS research center in the New York Times. The House Appropriations Committee will vote today on a proposal that would bar the National Institutes of Health from designating any funds for AIDS research. If passed, this bill would effectively cripple the Office of AIDS Research, which was created by Congress two years ago. Instead of admitting that AIDS is a national tragedy, Baltimore and Ho claim, many conservative leaders pretend not to see the enormous economic and emotional toll of the disease. However, Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) seems to understand the situation, saying that politicians should "depoliticize research decisions about biology" and let scientists establish priorities. If this bill is passed, the authors conclude, scientists will return to making individual discoveries about AIDS without a central plan for dealing with the disease. "Mary Fisher's Message Goes to the Masses" USA Today (07/20/95) P. 1D; Painter, Kim Most of America met Mary Fisher three years ago, when she spoke about her life as an HIV-infected mother at the Republican convention in Houston. "What shocked American was that a married woman, in her early forties, with two nice children--a Republican even...--had AIDS," Fisher said of her fame. The wealthy daughter of a Detroit financier, Fisher has become a one-woman AIDS awareness campaign, speaking to groups that other AIDS activists might not. One day, for example, she spread her message of inclusion and compassion to the staff of Sotheby's auction house. On another, she spoke to the parents and students at an exclusive girls school in New York. In addition, Fisher is completing a collection of artwork that will be displayed at a U.S. Senate gallery this fall. Included in the artwork will be a pine coffin on top of which Fisher has written, "Let us unite in life rather than in death." "Blood Stain: A Drug From Baxter Is Said to Have Posed a Risk of Hepatitis" Wall Street Journal (07/20/95) P. A1; Burton, Thomas M. Baxter International, Inc. estimates that nearly 350 people have contracted hepatitis C from its intravenous drug Gammagard--for the treatment of immune deficiency--which was immediately removed from the market. Donald Tankersley of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that "there could be 1,000 infections" resulting from Gammagard because some of the patients may never have been tested for the hepatitis-C virus. During the 1980s, when attention was focused on HIV and AIDS, blood product manufacturers did not pay much attention to hepatitis. The chief concern was about another blood-derived product for hemophiliacs. Some in the industry thought that immune globulin was safe because it came from a cleaner "fraction" of blood plasma than did the drug given to hemophiliacs. Other allegations include that Baxter neglected to include a virus-killing step in the manufacturing process; the FDA nonetheless approved the drug. Baxter substantiates this oversight on the basis that "our experience ... with immune globulin products demonstrated that the products on the market did not transmit the virus." "Surplus Funds Not Used for AIDS Blood Tests" Toronto Globe and Mail (07/19/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre According to documents filed as evidence at an inquiry into Canada's tainted blood scandal, Canada's blood program ended up $4 million under budget in 1985, while the introduction of HIV testing was delayed for lack of approved funds. The Canadian Red Cross Society invested some of the surplus, but did not use the cash to accelerate the testing. The agency's portfolio increased from $16 million to $19.5 million in 1985. The seven-month delay is one of the main factors being investigated by the Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, which is trying to determine the cause of the public-health disaster in which more than 1,000 hemophiliacs and transfusion recipients became infected with HIV. "AIDS Focus of TD Insurance Battle" Toronto Globe and Mail (07/19/95) P. B10; Gibb-Clark, Margot Toronto-Dominion Bank and the owner of a bed-and-breakfast are involved in a dispute over mortgage insurance that was purchased by his partner before his death from AIDS. After Nick DiCicco's death in February, just over a year after he had put a $200,000 mortgage on the house, his partner and beneficiary David McKinistry applied to have the mortgage cleared and was rejected. He remembers that when DiCicco applied for the insurance he asked, "Does anyone qualify? What if I had a terminal disease?" According to McKinistry, the loan officer said it did not matter because "it all goes into the pool." The policy was underwritten by Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada. The bank was merely an agent. Mutual Life officials said that when they received medical details of DiCicco's death, they noted that the application was not completed correctly and thus, declared it void. McKinistry's lawyer said that when he looked at the application form after DiCicco's death, there was a mark in a box indicating that the applicant did not have AIDS or any of several other diseases. DiCicco's initials, however, were not beside the mark, though similar forms bear the initials of the applicants involved. He suggested that the policy was miswritten, so the bank should be responsible for it. "Dutch Government to Pay "Bad Blood" HIV Victims" Reuters (07/19/95) The Dutch government has announced that it will compensate all hemophiliacs who became infected with HIV after receiving tainted blood or blood products. Health Minister Els Borst said that all HIV-infected hemophiliacs could expect as much as $129,000 in compensation. "We accept that the government is to blame on certain points; let's now talk about an adequate financial response," she added. Borst also acknowledged criticism that the Dutch government was slow to adopt measures, such as heat-treatment, that would kill HIV in blood and blood products. About 170 Dutch hemophiliacs became infected with the virus that causes AIDS before 1985, after which time blood was screened for HIV. Thus far, approximately 30 have died of AIDS. "Magic Johnson Says He Won't Play in NBA Again" Reuters (07/18/95) Basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson said on Tuesday that he will not return to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Johnson, who retired from pro basketball after learning he was infected with HIV said he realized his "future is in business and not playing in the NBA." Since he left the basketball, Johnson has played in NBA All-Star games and has toured Europe and Asia with his exhibition team, the Magic All-Stars. In addition, the former Los Angeles Laker recently opened a multi-screen movie theater in South Central Los Angeles, and said his company intends to build similar theaters in Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; New York, and Chicago. "Shionogi Beefs Up Drug R&D to Cure Ailing Performance" Nikkei Weekly (07/03/95) Vol. 33, No. 1678, P. 10; Endo, Shigeru Shionogi & Co., one of Japan's largest pharmaceutical makers, suffered during the early 1990s. Sales were stagnant, and its research and development unit had missed a critical market shift away from antibiotics. Now, however, Shionogi President Yoshihiko Shiono has successfully initiated the company's first major overseas expansion and brought in new talent for the research division. Although his strategy is risky, Shiono has produced a potential anti-AIDS drug and a joint venture with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. to show for his efforts. The anti-AIDS drug, which was announced last April, is the first indication of the success of Shiono's plan. The drug will be in clinical trials for at least five years before it can join the short list of other drugs, such as AZT, that inhibit the spread of HIV. Shionogi is also investing in a number of research projects, including a gene therapy laboratory which will search for cures for such diseases as AIDS and cancer. "New TB Cases Drop; Local Programs Cited" American Medical News (07/17/95) P. 21 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 24,361 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the United States in 1994--down nearly 4 percent from the previous year. Last year marked the second year of decline after an eight-year increase. The reduced number of cases is the result of increased state and local prevention and control programs, said CDC director David Satcher. Between 1985 and 1992, new cases jumped 20 percent, an increase that is attributed to cutbacks in control programs, the rise of AIDS, increased immigration from nations where TB is prevalent, and the development of drug-resistant strains of the disease. "Nevirapine: Ethical Dilemmas and Care for HIV-Infected Mothers" Focus (06/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 5; Benson, Mindy; Shannon, Maureen For many women, zidovudine (ZDV, AZT) therapy is not a viable option to reduce maternal-fetal HIV transmission. The Pediatric AIDS Council Trial Group, therefore, has continued to develop other trials that might offer a reduction of perinatal transmission. The AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) 250 protocol, for example, is now determining the safety and pharmocokinetics of nevirapine--a non-nucleoside HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Thus far, three studies have indicated the drug's ability to dramatically reduce HIV viral burden. The short time to resistance, however, makes nevirapine an unlikely candidate for long-term therapy. Several of the nine ACTG 250 sites offer care, as well as opportunities to participate in clinical trials. Many of the perinatal sites, however, do not require trial participation in order to receive care. The staff at these locations face ethical dilemmas that blur the lines between clinician and investigator, and pose conflicts of interest. For instance, a client may feel obliged to enroll in a trial please the clinician-investigator. The clinician-investigator must remain an objective interpreter of scientific data as well as a supportive advocate for women facing reproductive and treatment dilemmas.