Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Monday December 23 7:50 AM EST
Shalala, speaking on CNN's "Late Edition with Frank Sesno," said Ho's research did not constitute a cure, but it had helped extend the life of people living with AIDS.
"And that a very significant finding, it is a brilliant breakthrough," Shalala said.
Ho, the scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center which has been in the vanguard of the battle against AIDS in the medical community, pioneered the use of drug "cocktails" to combat HIV, providing the first glimmers of hope to people with AIDS for better and longer lives.
But some AIDS activists have criticized Time's decision to single out Ho, saying that it masked the importance of collaborative research efforts underpinning his achievements.
"While we applaud Time Magazine for this AIDS focus, we believe that they would have better served our quest for a cure by casting a wider net and highlighting the work of several research scientists," said Steve Michael, of the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP.
Shalala also acknowledged that Ho's work was the result of government funding and built on work by many other researchers.
"He stands on the shoulders of researchers there and The past year has seen the greatest advancement in the medical fight against AIDS since the epidemic began 15 years ago, largely through the development of protease inhibitors which when combined with other anti-HIV drugs often reduce the amount of virus in the blood to undetectable levels.
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