Washington Blade - March 22, 2002

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Important unanswered questions remain in the development of a broadly effective AIDS vaccine, which could be a decade or more away, a top AIDS researcher said March 15. "Do I think in five years we are going to have a vaccine that is going to prevent AIDS? Probably not," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. He said clinical trials are underway on a vaccine that seems to have at least partial effect, and "some global health good could come of that." In countries with high rates of AIDS infection, a vaccine of even modest effectiveness can have an impact, he explained. Last month, researchers told an AIDS conference that a new vaccine is showing promise in early human testing.

Health official links Viagra with transmission of gonorrhea

SAN FRANCISCO -- City health officials are making an appeal to federal regulators to warn consumers that use of the sexual impotence drug Viagra is linked to the transmission of gonorrhea, the Los Angeles Times reported. "The data's clear, the evidence is strong," Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of sexually transmitted disease control for the city, who has conducted a study on the issue, told the Times. "There's really at this point no excuse for inaction by the FDA or the manufacturer." FDA spokesperson Laura Bradbard said that the agency wants more studies before deciding if changes to Viagra's warning label are necessary. Klausner said he is not suggesting that Viagra causes gonorrhea; rather that Viagra leads to risky behavior, which is associated with higher rates of STD transmission. Gonorrhea presents the greatest risk because it is more common than other STDs among gay and bisexual men, and it is far more infectious, Klausner said. But Geoff Cook, a spokesperson for Pfizer, which manufactures Viagra, said that "any pharmaceutical product can be abused, and that's beyond our control."

Bush receives mixed grade on AIDS issues, advocates say

WASHINGTON -- A national coalition of 14 AIDS organization sent a letter to President George W. Bush last week, rating him on AIDS issues and requesting a meeting with him. The coalition stated that they wanted Bush to give priority to three specific issues -- funding for AIDS programs, rapid appointments to fill vacant top health posts at federal agencies, and meeting with AIDS activists. "The coalition calls on the president to exert his leadership to help end the suffering caused by AIDS," according to a statement from the coalition. The group rated Bush everywhere from a "B-plus" on funding research to an "F" in leadership prevention. The coalition includes the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, the National AIDS Housing Coalition, the National Minority AIDS Council and the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C.

Helms meets with Bono, Tucker about fighting AIDS in Africa

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) made a payment on his promise to do more about the AIDS epidemic in Africa by hosting a march 13 meeting of conservative senators with U2 lead singer Bono and actor Chris Tucker, on Capitol Hill. Helms said recently he wants to spend his remaining time in office fighting AIDS and was ashamed of his response to the epidemic, but later clarified, saying that he was only referring to AIDS in Africa. "If it had extended to [homosexuals], I would have said so," Helms said. "I don't have any idea on changing my views on that kind of activity, which is the primary cause of the doubling and redoubling of AIDS cases in the United States." In addition to Helms, Republican Sens. Mike DeWine, Rick Santorum and Bill Frist gathered for an hour. Tucker is doing research for a new movie in which he will star as America's first black president. Tucker's character eradicates AIDS in Africa in the film. Bono has lobbied on the Hill in the past to improve conditions in underdeveloped nations.

New Mexico law broadens older quarantine law to fight disease

SANTA FE (AP) -- Court proceedings in New Mexico soon will be closed to the public and news media when health authorities seek to quarantine people because of the threat of a "communicable disease." The head of a government watchdog group says the new law is too restrictive and could allow authorities to keep secret or delay the release of information, such as potential health risks from an act of biological terrorism. "Assuming the worst possible thing a government agency could do, it could conceal from the public the knowledge of an epidemic," said Robert Johnson, executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. The new law takes effect May 15, and revises the procedures for public health officials seeking a court order to detain or quarantine a person who has refused treatment for a "threatening communicable disease." The law is aimed at safeguarding against diseases such as tuberculosis. Health officials said it would not apply to people with AIDS.

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