AIDS Daily Summary August 30, 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 ************************************************************ "Study Finds AIDS Risk to Addicts Drops if Sale of Syringes Is Legal" "AIDS Virus Lives after Two Hours in Disinfectant" "Pause in Life-Expectancy Gains Apparently Tied to Impact of AIDS" "Negative Reactions Pound Stock of Univax, Buyer" "Red Cross and Lab Fought for Blood Supply" "Briefly: Elsewhere" "AIDS Update: Keep Sharp with a Pencil" "Bringing AZT to Poor Countries" "Going On: The Post-AIDS-Play Play" ************************************************************ "Study Finds AIDS Risk to Addicts Drops if Sale of Syringes Is Legal" New York Times (08/30/95) P. A1; Judson, George New studies show that needle sharing among drug addicts dropped 40 percent after Connecticut approved a law three years ago allowing pharmacies to sell syringes over the counter. The studies, published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, conclude that the increased availability of clean needles should, therefore, stem the spread of HIV. "This is something that made a dramatic change in behavior at no cost to the public," said Beth Weinstein, director of the AIDS unit of the Connecticut Department of Health, which conducted the studies with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One year after the needle laws took effect, 83 percent of the state's pharmacies were selling needles over the counter, and injection drug users relied on them as their primary source of needles, according to the studies' authors. A second study surveyed drug users at HIV counseling programs, prisons, and drug treatment centers in Connecticut. The authors found that less than one year after the law went into effect, 78 percent of those surveyed had bought syringes from a pharmacy in the previous month, while just 28 percent had purchased needles on the street. In addition, 30 percent of the users who said they only bought syringes from pharmacies said they had shared a needle at least once in the previous month, compared to the 52 percent found in a survey conducted before the law took effect. "AIDS Virus Lives after Two Hours in Disinfectant" Baltimore Sun (08/30/95) P. 3A A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine indicates that a chemical disinfectant used on some medical and dental devices may not kill HIV. In the laboratory, the researchers discovered that the germ-killer glutaraldehyde did not kill the virus that causes AIDS in blood lodged in lubricants frequently used in dental equipment and in medical equipment called endoscopes. Researcher David Lewis of the University of Georgia said, however, that none of the devices has ever been shown to be the cause of HIV infection. According to Lewis, the study highlights the need to sterilize dental equipment at very high temperatures and indicates that the standards for decontaminating endoscopes should be raised. However, Dr. David Fleischer--a former president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy--argues that the current decontaminating system is "extremely effective." The experiment, he said, did not follow all the steps of the procedure used to decontaminate gastrointestinal endoscopes. "Pause in Life-Expectancy Gains Apparently Tied to Impact of AIDS" New York Times (08/30/95) P. C8; Brody, Jane E. Newly published statistics from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company reveal that the increase in AIDS-related deaths has basically halted the United States' century-long increase in life expectancy. Life expectancy at birth reached a peak 75.8 years in 1992, but fell slightly to 75.5 years the next year and remained the same in 1994, early data from the National Center for Health Statistics show. "While stagnation for two consecutive years does not necessarily make a trend, it probably shows in large measure the impact of AIDS," said the group's Dr. Charles G. Hertz. He warned of the dangers of focusing on just two years of data, but said it was important to keep track of small changes because they could be early signs of significant problems in health improvements. "Negative Reactions Pound Stock of Univax, Buyer" Baltimore Sun (08/30/95) P. 8C; Mullaney, Timothy J. Stock prices of both Univax Biologics Inc. and North American Biologicals Inc. fell on Tuesday as investors reacted negatively to the two firms' merger plans. North American's stock dropped $1.375 to $9 a share yesterday, while Univax's stock declined $0.75 to $7.25. Supporters of the agreement, however, claim the deal will pay off for both companies in the end because Univax's scientific and clinical knowledge will add to North American's long-term growth, and because its leading drug to treat complications of AIDS is expected to earn at least $100 million in annual sales by 1999. "Red Cross and Lab Fought for Blood Supply" Toronto Globe and Mail (08/29/95) P. A6 Two former officials of a Canadian government-owned company testified on Monday that the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and their company struggled for control over blood products as HIV entered the country's blood supply. The two organizations fought about who should make blood products for hemophiliacs, said Alun Davies and William Cochrane, both ex-officials at Connaught Laboratories Ltd. Lawyers representing HIV-infected Canadians have claimed that the CRC and Connaught spent more time fighting over who should manufacture blood plasma than increasing the blood supply's safety. At the public inquiry into the country's tainted blood scandal of the 1980s, Davies and Cochrane presented their side of the story, testifying that the disputes began in 1976 when the CRC decided it did not want Connaught supplying its blood products anymore and began pushing for its own blood-processing plant. Davies also said he had to fight a public-relations battle after the CRC alleged that Connaught wasted too much blood. "Briefly: Elsewhere" Richmond Times-Dispatch (08/29/95) P. A2 AIDS researcher Dr. Eric P. Goosby has been appointed to the highest AIDS policy position in the U.S. Public Health Service. "AIDS Update: Keep Sharp with a Pencil" Men's Health (09/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 48 Approximately 20 percent of all HIV-infected individuals have some sort of memory problem, but there is a way to alleviate short-term memory and concentration difficulties. According to Dr. Joel Levy of the Baylor College of Medicine, use of the drug Ritalin and a detailed "memory" notebook can lessen such memory problems. Levy said that patients following this regimen improved their recall by as much as 80 percent. The notebook contained such items as daily, monthly, and yearly calendars; a section for personal descriptions of new acquaintances, map routes of important places, and a programmable timer to remind the user to check the notebook. "Bringing AZT to Poor Countries" Science (08/04/95) Vol. 269, No. 5224, P. 624; Cohen, Jon A new advertisement from the Pediatric AIDS Foundation will show an infant lying on a quilt with these words superimposed, "The only thing worse than losing a child to AIDS is finding out you didn't have to." The ad is part of a campaign in response to last year's discovery that AZT can reduce the risk of maternal-fetal HIV transmission by nearly 70 percent. This research victory means little, however, to HIV-infected pregnant women in developing countries. Poorer nations cannot afford AZT or the laboratories that were used in the trial, known as Protocol 076. In addition, many women do not know they are infected. "There are many problems with the transition of the 076 regimen to the developing world," says Lynne Mofenson of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a co-sponsor of the trial. Yet many studies now being planned are trying to translate 076's results into a preventive strategy that works in the developing world. These researchers have had to decide whether it is ethical to test new treatments in developing countries against placebos, rather than a treatment that is known to work. The first of these trials will soon begin in the West African nations of Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. The scientists note that they are not testing for efficacy, but for safety and acceptability, in part because AZT might cause anemia, which is already prevalent. "Going On: The Post-AIDS-Play Play" Village Voice (08/29/95) Vol. 40, No. 35, P. 78; Finkle, David The second decade of the AIDS epidemic has created a new style of AIDS onstage, in which the disease is briefly mentioned or avoided. For example, one character in Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion!" yells, "Anyone who mentions AIDS this summer--it'll cost them." The characters end up discussing the disease, but neither it nor its effects are dwelled upon. Other playwrights avoid the issue by setting their plays before 1981. However, the lack of AIDS in several recent plays does not mean that the issue has virtually faded from the stage. It is more as if AIDS has become yet another feature of the contemporary social landscape. Still, the disease has also become a convenient dramatic device. Although the main couple in Chay Yew's "A Language of Their Own" have different diagnoses, AIDS is more a metaphor for the disparities that eventually force the lovers apart. One reason for the change in style may be that many of the creators for whom the epidemic has been most compelling have died and that the survivors, while concerned, may have less to lose. Another explanation could be that the authors are just tired of writing about AIDS. Although the future of AIDS and homosexuality on stage are not clear, some new doors--such as including gay men in serious drama--have been opened.