Washington Blade - August 30, 2002

WASHINGTON -- AIDS researchers said Aug. 19 they had designed a vaccine that they believe may do what no other vaccine has done: protect people from infection with the virus, Reuters reported. So far the team at the Institute of Virology at the University of Maryland has only tested monkeys. And they note that people trying to design a vaccine against the AIDS virus have repeatedly failed. But they think their design is the best yet. "In several animals, including monkey, we were able to generate neutralizing antibodies that are not type-specific but broadly cover various types of HIV," said Dr. Robert Gallo, who helped discover the AIDS virus and who heads the institute where the work was done.

New experimental AIDS drug raises hopes, pricing fears

NEW YORK (AP) -- The federal government has approved tests of an experimental and potentially expensive AIDS drug that could prolong the lives of people with drug-resistant strains of the disease. Dubbed Fuzeon by its developers, Roche Group and Trimeris, Inc., the drug won a priority, six-month review from the Food & Drug Administration. The companies hope to put Fuzeon on the market by spring. "Everyone is so pleased about the drug itself," said Martin Delaney, founding director of Project Inform, an advocacy organization. "But we are terribly apprehensive about the cost."

Experts predict a cost of $10,000 to $15,000 a year per patient. The most expensive AIDS drugs now available cost about $7,500 a year, although some combination treatments approach $15,000 in annual costs. Fuzeon's cost should be kept in perspective, said Dr. James Thommes, the drug's medical director at Roche, who added that it keeps people from expensive hospital stays and prolongs their lives.

Nuclear waste filter yields new material for AIDS treatment

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A Sandia National Laboratories researcher has discovered a material that could potentially mean a new AIDS treatment. The material, called niobium HPA, can attach itself to the AIDS virus in the bloodstream, preventing it from harming other cells. May Nyman stumbled onto it accidentally while investigating filters for liquid nuclear waste at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The idea of using the discovery for medical purposes is intriguing, said Craig Hill, a chemistry professor at Emory University in Atlanta and an expert in a class of materials called heteropolyanions, or HPAs. "If the thing has a lifetime of hours [in the blood] versus minutes or seconds, then it is very likely to have interesting anti-viral properties," said Hill, who said he would be interested in testing the material at Emory. "There's a reasonable chance that its toxicity may be fairly low."

Health officials concerned about syphilis rise in Calif.

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. -- Syphilis, a disease once thought to be nearly eliminated in California, is now on the rise in Riverside County and elsewhere in the state, the Press-Enterprise reported Aug. 21. Unsafe sexual practices by gay men are the main contributor to the increase, according to health officials. And while syphilis rates are still far lower than in past decades, health officials are concerned that the resurgence could lead to an increase in cases of HIV.

More men are having multiple partners and engaging in sex with anonymous partners in bathhouses, bars and other places, said Barbara Cole, who heads Riverside County's disease control program.

As many as 40 percent of those with syphilis in Riverside County also are HIV-positive, Cole said. Syphilis often can show up as an open sore or ulcer, and that can increase the risk of acquiring HIV.

"We do know syphilis facilitates HIV transmission," said Dan Wohlfeiler, an official with the state health department's sexually transmitted disease branch. "I think people are just kind of tired of the prevention message -- and that's going to get us in trouble down the road," said Deborah Morales, assistant director of education and prevention at the Desert AIDS Project.

Images of hunks spur anxieties in some men

CHICAGO -- Research has for years linked women's exposure to photos of skinny supermodels with feelings of inadequacy about their own bodies. Now, a new study suggests that men are driven to the same insecurities when faced with magazine portrayals of buff, muscled hunks, according to Reuters Health. "We found that women and men are equal as far as how much physique anxiety they experience after they see these types of pictures," said study co-researcher Jennifer Otto. For most men, the anxiety may only lead to fleeting resolutions to work out more at the gym. But for a minority of men, an obsession with physical perfection can lead to a psychological disorder in which life revolves around muscle building, dieting and the use of dangerous muscle-enhancing drugs.

From staff and wire reports

020830
WB020814

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .