Washington Blade - August 9, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO - It might be possible to stop the AIDS epidemic purely through use of currently available drug therapies, according to a mathematical model based on San Francisco. If the model developed by the University of California at Los Angeles researchers holds up, it would mean the pandemic could be slowed, even eradicated, after 50 years of widespread use of anti-HIV drugs. Mathematician Sally Blower and her UCLA colleagues believe that, "the United States has a moral imperative to start pouring money into eradication throughout the world ... These drugs, even though they cannot cure individuals who are treated, could head us towards eradication," Blower told Newsday. The UCLA model, which appears in the July 31 issue of the British publication the Lancet Infectious Diseases, uses a mathematical method called "uncertainty analysis" to calculate the impact of a range of variables. The primary problem with all mathematical models, experts said, is the validity of the assumptions built into them. "I think we all want to see the epidemic decrease, but using math models to get us there is stretching things a bit," said Stephen Gange, a mathematician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Researcher says new HIV vaccine shows 'promise'

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of South Florida College of Medicine has begun the human trial for a new experimental HIV vaccine. The national study, sponsored by Merck & Co., will assess the vaccine's safety and ability to produce immunity in healthy, uninfected adult volunteers, Vaccine Weekly reported. If successful, the small preliminary study at Tampa General Hospital Clinical Research Center would pave the way for a larger study of the vaccine's effectiveness in people at high risk for HIV infection. "Of all the potential vaccines studied over the last 20 years, this is one of the most promising to move forward as a candidate for prevention of HIV disease," said Dr. Jeffrey Nadler, professor of medicine and principal investigator for the HIV vaccine trial. Instead of building antibodies, this new HIV vaccine boosts the activity of T-lymphocytes to target and kill cells containing HIV.

Critics say audits slowing work at disease center

WASHINGTON - Recent Bush administration audits of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have provoked complaints from center officials who say they are suffocating under strict oversight of the public health agency. All HIV/AIDS-related programs are currently under review, Fox News reported July 29. The review comes on the heels of a report last year that found that one San Francisco-based organization was using taxpayer dollars to fund HIV/AIDS prevention programs that featured drag queen beauty pageants and masturbation demonstrations. "It seems that the CDC has been influenced by various political agendas instead of a strict political mandate," said Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) a physician. But William Cates, president of Family Health International, who also worked for the CDC for over 20 years, said Bush administration micromanagement "has tended, in my mind, to harm us rather than build on the collective expertise at the CDC.

Injectable AIDS drug stymied by short supply, maker says

LONDON - A revolutionary AIDS drug could offer new hope to patients, but demand for it is so great its manufacturer warned recently that it may not be able to supply the medication to all those who need it. Patient groups and AIDS activists have been clamoring for access to T-20, which will be sold under the brand name Fuzeon, as an alternative treatment for tens of thousands of people who have become resistant to existing medicines. But Swiss manufacturer Roche Holding AG said Aug. 2 it would only be able to supply some 3,000 patients by March 2003, Reuters Health reported. The injectable drug is the first in a class known as fusion inhibitors that work by preventing HIV virus from entering cells. T-20 is currently undergoing a fast-track review at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Roche and its U.S. partner, Trimeris Inc., are working to bring on new production capacity at a plant in Colorado.

Gay health summit planned in Colo.

BOULDER, Colo, - Organizers are looking beyond AIDS and HIV to emphasize wellness in planning the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex Health Summit to take place Aug. 21-25, in Boulder, Colo. "The perception of LGBTI individuals is consistently framed in an HIV/AIDS framework or some other type of pathological framework such as suicide risk or substance abuse," said bisexual health advocate and nurse Monica McLemore, a member of the organizing committee. "A multidisciplinary conference on health issues can bring forward a research and health agenda independent of pathology and begin to address the health care needs and eliminate disparities in care." The conference will bring together hundreds of health advocates, medical professionals, service providers, researchers and health officials to examine issues of specific interest to gay men and lesbians. Issues range from the health needs of gay youth and services for transgender people, to lesbian and bisexual women facing menopause, to gay men's aging issues and gay parenting. More than 175 workshops, institutes, panel discussions and plenary sessions are planned. The program also will include topics such as barebacking, circuit party drug use, microbicides and medical marijuana, as well as reports from the recent International AIDS Conference in Barcelona and the Queer Disability Conference held in June. More information is available at www.healthsummit2002.org, call 303-444-6121, or send e-mail to email@healthsummit.org.

Drug boosts fight against HIV, researchers find

TORONTO - A new drug that advances the fight against HIV has been found to work better than treatments currently on the market, a University of Toronto scientist told AIDS Weekly. "This is the first time that one protease inhibitor drug combination has been found to work better than another in patients who haven't received treatment before," said Dr. Sharon Walmsley, associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network. Walmsley is lead author of a paper that appeared in the June 27, 2002, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The lopinavir-ritonavir combination, known commercially as Kaletra, has been approved for conditional use in Canada and the United States. The drug is now under review by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for full approval.

From staff and wire reports
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