AIDS Daily Summary August 03, 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 "2 Firms to Pay HIV-Infected Hemophiliacs" Philadelphia Inquirer (08/03/94) P. A1; Shaw, Donna In a move that limits but does not completely eliminate future litigation against them, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc. and Baxter International Inc. will contribute as much as $160 million to a fund for hemophiliacs who acquired HIV infection from blood-clotting products manufactured by the companies. As many as 6,000 infected individuals and their families are expected to apply for the compensation, according to David S. Shrager, lead counsel in the case. Filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the lawsuit alleges that Baxter, Rhone-Poulenc, and three other companies sold and promoted HIV-contaminated plasma proteins in the mid-1980s, even after learning of the risk involved. The plaintiffs charge that the companies did not adequately screen donors, test or treat plasma, or fully warn hemophiliacs about the risks. Three other firms accused--Miles Inc., Alpha Therapeutic Corp., and the National Hemophilia Foundation--opted not to participate in the settlement. Related Stories: Wall Street Journal (08/03) P. B7; New York Times (08/03) P. A22; Baltimore Sun (08/03) P. 2A "Shalala Aide Named Temporary AIDS Chief" Baltimore Sun (08/03/94) P. 11A President Clinton has appointed Patricia Fleming to act as interim national AIDS policy coordinator. Fleming formerly served as an assistant specializing in AIDS and public health issues to the late New York representative Ted Weiss, and is presently a special assistant to Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala. As the temporary replacement for Kristine Gebbie, who resigned as AIDS czar, Fleming will represent the United States at the 10th annual AIDS conference being held this year in Japan. Despite her background, Fleming said she is not a candidate to hold the permanent position of AIDS policy coordinator. Related Stories: Los Angeles Times (08/03) P. A7; Washington Times (08/03) P. A4 "AIDS Costs Insurers $1.52 Billion" Washington Times (08/03/94) P. B7 Based on data from 372 companies, the American Council of Life Insurance calculated that health and life insurers in the United States doled out $1.52 billion last year in claims directly related to AIDS patients. The total was up from the $1.41 billion paid out in 1992. "18 Percent of H.I.V.-Infected Hemophiliacs May Stay Free of AIDS for 25 Years" New York Times (08/03/94) P. C10; Brody, Jane E. A significant minority of HIV-infected hemophiliac men may survive for as long as a quarter of a century before developing AIDS, say British researchers. The team at the Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London based its conclusion on an ongoing study of 111 patients who have been monitored since contracting the virus, over a six-year period beginning in 1979. By Jan. 1, 1993, all 111 of the men had developed the disease, as defined by a sharp decline in CD4 cell count. Based on the rate of change in these white blood cells, the researchers devised a mathematical model predicting that one quarter of the men would live 20 years, and 18 percent would live 25 years, before developing full-blown AIDS. It is unclear whether traits particular to hemophiliac men increased their chances for disease-free survival, or if the findings of the British study apply to infected women or intravenous drug users as well. "How a Determined Young Man Built a Camp for AIDS Children" Wall Street Journal (08/03/94) P. B1; Murray, Matt When the 10-year-old son of a friend was squeezed out of a California summer camp for kids with HIV/AIDS, Neil Willenson set out to start his own camp. He called doctors, charities, newspapers, and community leaders for advice and publicity. The 23-year-old activist delved into his own savings, solicited money from friends and family, and convinced companies like Miller Brewing Co. and Harley-Davidson to contribute several thousand dollars. The result was Camp Heartland in Blairstown, N.J., where half of the children have HIV or AIDS, and the other half come from households in which a family member is sick or has died from the disease. The facility operates on a shoestring budget. It is staffed by young people--mostly volunteer college students--and depends upon volunteer nurses and local hospitals for medical assistance. This summer, about 250 children aged five to 17 will attend two-week long sessions at Camp Heartland, free of charge. "Hugh Hefner" Los Angeles Times (08/03/94) P. A12; Proffitt, Steve Asked how the reality of AIDS has influenced the philosophy of his magazine, Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner notes that the publication is based on informed sexuality. Playboy began to publish AIDS-related editorials before any other national magazine, according to Hefner. He recalls a cover story, "AIDS--Now We Are All At Risk," as early as 1985. Playboy, says Hefner, "brought some rational thought to the subject when the [television] networks and the rest of the mass media were really involved in a form of hysteria." "From the Food and Drug Administration: FDA to Sponsor Workshop on HIV Detection During 'Window' Period in Donor Screening" Journal of the American Medical Association (08/03/94) Vol. 272, No. 5, P. 344; Nightingale, Stuart L. The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a conference for Sept. 26-28 to explore the possible use of polymerase chain reaction and other gene amplification techniques to improve viral detection during the seronegative "window" phase of HIV infection. Although donor deferral and donor screening practices have helped to significantly decrease the risk of HIV transmission through blood, the virus continues to spread through units that have been screened. The risk is estimated at one per 40,000 to one per 225,000 per unit. The workshop, to be held in Silver Spring, Md., will evaluate the specificity, sensitivity, and precision of various techniques and consider the appropriateness of applying them to donor screening. "WHO Warns of Global TB Epidemic" Washington Blade (07/08/94) Vol. 25, No. 28, P. 12 Unless tuberculosis "becomes a funding priority," 30 million people will die from the infection in the next decade, the World Health Organization warned recently. TB is spreading with particular speed among the HIV population, according to a WHO report. In 1990, it said, four percent of TB patients were also infected with HIV. The organization predicts that, by the year 2000, nearly one in seven TB patients will also be HIV-positive. Co-infection with TB and HIV has become so common that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year added TB to its AIDS case definition. "No News on Sunday" Nature (07/07/94) Vol. 370, No. 6484, P. 1 A series of new developments suggests that the London Sunday Times appears to have quieted its controversial campaign endorsing the belief that HIV does not have a causal role in the development of AIDS. The paper's editor, Andrew Neil, is now with Fox Television in the United States, and Neville Hodgkinson, the author of most of the articles that have for the past two years argued the unimportance and/or irrelevance of HIV, has also left the Times. Acting editor John Witherow defends the publication's coverage on the subject, and still insists that the idea that HIV causes AIDS does not conform to the facts. It is unlikely, however, that anyone would be willing to take Hodgkinson's place in lauding the Duesberg theories. Therefore, the scientific journal Nature will cease coverage of the Sunday Times' treatment of HIV, "relieving readers of a degree of boredom."