San Francisco Chronicle (SF) - WEDNESDAY, August 16, 1995 Edition: FINAL Section: News Page: C4 Word Count: 435
Tyra Mead, Chronicle North Bay Bureau

About 20 patients will be involved in the study, which is open to residents from all over the Bay Area. San Francisco General Hospital is also participating in the study.

The county's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously yesterday to approve an agreement with Celgene Corp., the maker of the drug. Celgene will cover all expenses of the study, estimated at $160,000.

"It would be a miracle if a drug that is synonymous with a medical horror story became a medical hope," said Tom Peters, the director of Marin County's Health and Human Services department, which oversees the Specialty Clinic. The clinic provides medical care and other services for HIV-infected and AIDS patients in Marin County.

Statewide, Marin's per capita rate of AIDS is second only to San Francisco County. There are about 1,100 AIDS patients in the county, and an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 with HIV.

Wasting syndrome is one of the complications of AIDS and is distinct from simply losing weight. People who are wasting are taking in enough calories to maintain their weight but nonetheless are dropping pounds.

Thalidomide was withdrawn from the market in the 1960s after the discovery that it was causing extreme deformities, including missing or stunted limbs, in children whose mothers used it as a sedative while they were pregnant.

It was banned in the United States after that disaster but is still used in Europe. It has been found to be effective in managing complications that arise from the treatments for Hansen's disease, or leprosy, and has been widely studied in connection with auto-immune diseases.

"In some sense, it's a very well-tolerated, well-known drug," said Alison Clayton, the clinical trials coordinator at the Specialty Clinic.

Clayton said the double-blind part of the trial, in which patients will not know whether they are receiving thalidomide or a placebo, will last four weeks. After that, the patient can receive thalidomide for another four weeks. If the drug proves effective, he or she can continue receiving thalidomide after the eight weeks on a "compassionate use" basis.

Women of child-bearing age will be allowed to participate in the study if they are using an effective birth-control method. They will be checked constantly to be certain they have not become pregnant.

People interested in participating in the trial can call the Marin County Specialty Clinic at 415-499-7377.

Copyright (c) 1995 - San Francisco Chronicle. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA 94119.
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