Washington Blade - November 1, 2002

WASHINGTON - Five months into his tenure as chief of the National Institutes of Health, Elias Zerhouni has begun to settle into the job and to speak out about his scientific and political priorities, according to the Washington Post. The NIH, an institution poised to enjoy its fifth consecutive year of major budget increases, includes the Office of AIDS Research, which manages the scientific, budgetary, legislative and policy elements of the agency's AIDS research program. Zerhouni spoke informally with NIH veterans to see if there are areas of promising research that are falling through the agency's bureaucratic cracks. "I'm looking for areas that are not being addressed or that are bigger than any one institute," he said. Zerhouni said he is comfortable with the increased centralization of power at the NIH within the office of the secretary of Health & Human Services, a trend initiated by Secretary Tommy G. Thompson under the motto "One department, one voice." That push has troubled some NIH researchers, as well as employees at other HHS agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Condom company recruits on U.K. college campuses

LONDON - University students have the chance to earn extra money the fun way - by testing condoms, according to the Associated Press. Manufacturer Condomi last week placed commercials in university newspapers and on student radio stations across Britain and Ireland offering $150 per semester to students who volunteer to take part in what it calls "rigor pleasure tests" of the contraceptives. "We are always looking for ways to improve our condoms, so using the feedback from eager consumers seems an ideal opportunity of testing every aspect of our performance," said Victoria Wells, marketing manager. To be picked, students must be already in a relationship, either straight or gay, Condomi says. Wells said test results "will be fed back to our research and development department, and we hope that the students who participate will both enjoy the testing and the money, and give us a frank response which we can use for product development."

Hepatitis C may not progress as often as believed, study shows

NEW YORK - A computer simulation based on U.S. liver disease statistics may show that the chances of eventually developing serious liver disease from the hepatitis C virus may be lower than experts originally believed, Reuters Health reported. But lead author Dr. Joshua A. Salomon, a researcher with the World Health Organization in Cambridge, Mass., cautioned that these findings do not mean good news for every individual with hepatitis C. "The news would be better if we could reliably predict which patients will and which will not progress quickly, which is not possible at this time," he said. As such, doctors must still face the difficult decision of when to put which patients on potentially toxic medications to slow the infection's damage to the liver, Salomon said. Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver that can lead to severe liver diseases such as cirrhosis or cancer and can be spread via contaminated blood products or by injection drug use.

Ind. AIDS group struggles to meet demand for safe-sex kits

ANDERSON, Ind. - An AIDS agency said it is having trouble meeting the demand for safe-sex kits aimed at preventing the spread of the disease, according to the Associated Press. In the last three months, demand for the kits prepared by Living with AIDS and Dignity has doubled over the previous year. The nonprofit group has distributed nearly 26,000 free condoms since July, compared with 16,000 during the previous 12 months. Three condoms are included in each free kit, along with a packet of lubricant, AIDS statistics and phone numbers for HIV/AIDS testing sites. James Toloday, who runs the organization with his partner, Gary Manifold, said some people are reluctant to donate. "A lot of people still, today, don't donate to HIV/AIDS organizations for fear that someone might know," Toloday said.

Broad coalition calls for approval of quick HIV test

LOS ANGELES - A broad, growing coalition of public health officials, health organizations and HIV/AIDS groups are calling for widespread availability of new rapid HIV tests through a "waived" status under the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act. Supporters include President Bush's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, the Congressional Black Caucus and nearly 100 HIV/AIDS organizations. The rapid tests, which should soon be approved by the FDA, reportedly yield results in 20 minutes. "We think that the rapid test could be for prevention what protease inhibitors have been for treatment," said Clint Trout, associate director for federal government affairs at AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the nations' largest AIDS organization. The Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act provides a higher level of federal oversight. But "waiving" that would speed the implementation of the tests, while not threatening the safety or integrity of the testing process, supporters argued.

From staff and wire reports

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