Washington Blade - May 17, 2002

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Patients prescribed the AIDS drug Combivir should make sure they received the correct pills after people in four states bought Combivir bottles that contained AIDS drug Ziagen, according to GlaxoSmithKline, the drug's maker. The tampering could be dangerous: About 5 percent of people who take Ziagen can suffer potentially life-threatening allergic reactions and could lower the effectiveness of a patient's therapy, the company said. Glaxo makes both drugs, shipping them in pre-sealed bottles. The company said its own investigation had ruled out a manufacturing glitch and that the Ziagen in the mislabeled bottles is real and not tainted, meaning someone sold Ziagen with a counterfeit Combivir label. A 60-tablet bottle of Combivir costs about $200 more than the same amount of Ziagen. Four bottles in Connecticut, Maryland, Florida and California have been discovered, Glaxo said. The Food & Drug Administration's criminal investigations unit is probing the problem. Patients and pharmacists with questions can call 1-888-825-5249.

Strict guidelines may keep gays from Christian health coverage

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A Christian group is offering health coverage, but only to those who qualify under strict membership guidelines, which does not include gays, the Virginian-Pilot reported. Christian Care Medi-Share, a mutual aid or "direct-share" group, requires applicants to have a "verifiable Christian testimony indicating a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ." "Our concern is that they are living a biblical lifestyle, in the accepted evangelical Christian sense of the definition," said the group's chief executive officer, E. John Reinhold. Applicants have to attend worship services regularly and be involved in church ministries. Medi-Share won't cover someone who gets AIDS from a gay partner or catches hepatitis through drug abuse. It also does not allow smoking, illegal drugs, extramarital sex or obesity among its members. Insurance involves a legal contract that guarantees indemnification of policy holders. Since Medi-Share makes no guarantees and is an association of churches, it can set unusual limits -- ones that, for a conventional insurer, could constitute illegal discrimination in some states. Medi-Share, which has about 45,000 members, was started in 1994 by the American Evangelistic Association, a non-profit group of conservative Christian churches.

CDC warns of possible HIV test kit shortage

ATLANTA (AP) -- Federal health officials are warning about a possible shortage of a kit used to confirm HIV test results that initially come back positive. The possible shortage means some patients may have to wait longer for final HIV test results, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said May 10. The warning involves HIV-1 Western blot kits, which are used for confirmation after initial tests on plasma and blood come back positive. The initial tests occasionally yield false positive results. One of two manufacturers of the Western blot kit, Calypte Biomedical Corp. of Alameda, Calif., has warned it may stop making them. The company laid off half its workforce last month and said it may file for bankruptcy. Only one other company, BioRad Laboratories Inc. of Hercules, Calif., makes the Western blot kit. The CDC said it was asking BioRad to boost its production to head off a potential shortage.

Mautner Project launches lesbian B&B campaign

WASHINGTON -- The Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer recently kicked off its new program, "Beds, Breakfasts & Breasts," through partnerships with inns and bed and breakfast facilities that cater to lesbians. "Lesbian-friendly B&B's provide a welcoming and safe place for lesbians to relax and be themselves," said Kathleen DeBold, executive director of the Mautner Project. "That makes them the perfect environment for delivering breast health messages geared toward our community." In May, the Mautner Project will furnish lesbian-friendly inns around the country with free "Beds, Breakfast & Breasts" kits to share with guests. The kits include "Dykes to Watch Out For" breast self-exam shower cards -- designed by lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel -- and brochures describing breast health and other services available through the Mautner Project. If successful, the Mautner Project will launch the second phase of its B&B outreach -- "Beds, Breakfast & Butts" -- later this summer.

Gay health experts to convene summit in Colo.

BOULDER, Colo. -- Leaders in gay health are making plans to meet in Boulder, Colo., this summer for a gay health summit. The National LGBTI Health Summit 2002 is Aug. 21-25, and is being organized by a 10-person panel under the umbrella of the Boulder AIDS Project. The summit has been awarded funding from the Gill Foundation and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Health activists, public health workers, medical professionals, HIV prevention leaders and community-based service providers are expected to convene. "We are coming together at a very critical time for LGBTI communities throughout the nation," said Eric Rofes, a longtime community organizer and convener of the summit. A program committee of 25 gay activists has recruited more than 250 proposals for meetings, debates and media events. Contact Mark Beyer at 303-444-6121, mark@bcap.org, or visit www.healthsummit2002.org for more information.

From staff and wire reports
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