The Washington Blade; Friday, January 17, 1997
Lisa Keen

The California pharmaceutical company which is developing the protease inhibitor nelfinavir mesylate announced last week that it is increasing the number of people who can receive the drug under its current "expanded access" program. Agouron Pharmaceuticals announced last September that it would make the drug available for free to people with advanced AIDS who aren't able to take any of the three protease drugs that have received FDA approval for commercial sale and who have CD4 cell counts of 50 or below. In a press release Jan. 8, Agouron said it will now provide the drug to those who have failed on ritonavir or indinavir and have a CD4 count of 100 or below. For more information, call 1-(800) 621-7111.

**Gains developing in gene therapy

Five people with AIDS who have not yet developed symptoms will participate soon in an experiment to see if doctors can genetically re-engineer their bone marrow in a way that it will produce immune cells which are resistant to HIV. According to United Press International, the Food and Drug Administration gave the go-ahead for the procedure to be performed at a California hospital.

Meanwhile, in the Oct. 14 issue of Nature Biotechnology, researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina say they have found a way to genetically modify certain immune cells to produce and secrete specific toxins that aim for and kill only cells infected with HIV.

"These modified killer lymphocytes not only recognize the target, but also produce cell-specific targeted molecules in addition to retaining their own immune activities," wrote Drs. An-Gang Yang and Si-Yi Chen in Nature Biotechnology. They said this approach might be especially helpful in eliminating HIV from lymphoid tissue and organs, two sites where the virus is known to harbor yet where current anti-HIV drugs have considerable difficulty reaching.

In another scientific journal, Nature, Chen said the approach may also prove useful in combating breast cancer.

**CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccine

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last month that a number of groups of people, including men who have sex with men, consider taking the vaccine to prevent hepatitis A.

In its Dec. 27 "Recommendations and Reports: Prevention of Hepatitis-A Through Active or Passive Immunization," the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices noted that hepatitis A can infect humans without causing symptoms, but the virus which causes it can be shed in stools and transmitted through sex. When symptoms do occur, they are usually fever, malaise, nausea, dark urine, and jaundice, among other things, much like hepatitis B. In addition to men having sex with men, other groups often infected include people who travel to "developing" countries, young children, and people who work with young children.

Two vaccines are currently available: HAVRIX by SmithKline and VAQTA by Merck.

In brief ...

--Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions was due to announce yesterday a new program specifically for people with AIDS in Maryland who are covered by Medicaid. The program, to be known as Moore Options, hopes to care for as many as 600 of Maryland's 3,000 people with AIDS on Medicaid. It will provide all primary and specialty care, including drugs, hospice care, dental and eye care, and case management.

--The Annapolis AIDS service group HAVEN has a "critical" need for people to volunteer for daytime transportation services. It is having a volunteer training Saturday, Feb. 1. For more information, call (410) 224-2437.

--The Integrated Healing Network will hold a free workshop for Gay and bisexual men with HIV who are interested in overcoming their fear of dating. The workshop will be presented by a local Gay therapist who specializes in male relationships. The workshop takes place Thursday, Jan. 23, from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m. in the Dupont Circle area. For more information, call (202) 234-8652.

--Researchers in western Canada say they've seen the death rate among people with AIDS drop dramatically since the widespread use of double-drug therapy began. According to Reuter news service, the death rate for people with AIDS in British Columbia was about 70 per 1,000 at the beginning of 1994. During the last three months of 1996, it was 23 per 1,000.

--The New York Times reported last week that pop artist Kenny Scharf has designed an "AIDS Monster" icon which he hopes will replace the current red ribbon icon. The "Monster," like the AIDS virus, has "spikes" coming out of it.

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