** California Clinical Trials Directories Published Two updated HIV clinical trials directories have just been published, covering Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. They contain useful information for anyone interested in participating in a clinical trial, and include community-based trials and observ
1991 marks the tenth year of the global catastrophe of AIDS, a decade in which half a million lives were damaged or lost forever. Under this staggering cost, we cannot speak of silver linings; but we can honor those who are gone by naming some victories their lives made possible. * The search for treatments for AIDS ha
An 18-month trial by the Community Consortium, an organization of AIDS physicians in San Francisco, was stopped early by the Consortium s Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) after seven of 56 volunteers on clofazimine developed evidence of disseminated MAC (based on blood cultures), compared to six of 54 untreated
Anti-Angiogenesis Drugs This new class of drugs, not yet tested in humans, prevents the growth of new blood vessels. In animal tests they have been effective in stopping growth of solid-tumor cancers (which must tell the body to create new blood vessels, since otherwise tumors cannot grow beyond a small size), and in K
Near the beginning of each year we list the treatments we are watching most closely because of their potential importance in the months ahead. This year more is happening than ever before, so readers should realize that our list is incomplete; no one can keep up with everything. These are some of the treatments to watc
On November 13 the Council on Competitiveness, chaired by Vice President Dan Quayle, announced a major package of proposed reforms designed to make new-drug development and approval more efficient. The ideas themselves are not new; they are largely based on the Lasagna Committee report, which had been well received in
A small study testing a new kind of lymphoma treatment will be opening soon at San Francisco General Hospital. People who have failed standard radiation or chemotherapy will be eligible for the trial. The specific agent being studied is one of a group of compounds called immunotoxins. Immunotoxin molecules consist o
3TC , a new anti-HIV drug being developed by Glaxo Inc., is now in a phase I/II trial at three North American sites: the U. S. National Cancer Institute near Washington, D. C., Boston City Hospital, and St. Paul s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia; a different trial is also underway in Paris, London, and Amster
Certain disturbances of the endocrine system may represent a new marker for HIV progression, as well as a treatable cause of some AIDS-related debilities. The endocrine system is a complex of glands and their hormone messengers which regulate the body s metabolism. This system interacts closely with the nervous system;
San Francisco has become the first city in the U. S. to publicly support the medical use of marijuana. On November 6, San Franciscans voted almost four to one to approve a city proposition urging the state of California to add marijuana to its list of available medications. Marijuana is useful for countering glaucoma,
On October 31, Hoffmann-La Roche announced that it had completed its filing of a New Drug Application (NDA) with the FDA , seeking approval to market ddC (also called zalcitabine , tra
Because immunosuppressed men may be at higher risk for anal cancer than those with intact immune systems, The University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Men s Health Study are initiating a study of anal neoplasia (also called dysplasia or precancerous formations) in men with HIV infection. Pap smears
On November 12, after several months of effective cooperation between Burroughs Wellcome Corporation and AIDS organizations, the experimental drug 566C80 was made available without charge through a treatment IND to patients with pneumocystis who cannot tolerate or fail to respond to conventional treatment with trimetho
After data from human trials showed very rapid development of viral resistance to Merck s experimental anti-HIV drug L-661, the company decided to stop the trial of L-661 alone, which had been ongoing at the U. S. National Institutes of Health, at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and at centers in Brussels and
In a June 1990 poster presentation at the Sixth International Conference on AIDS, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical School reported that when a soluble melanin synthesized from L-dopa was fed to mice in their drinking water, their urine showed anti-HIV activity even when diluted up to 200 times. (Note: the a
Two drugs which promise to become important weapons against some AIDS-related illnesses have won approval for use in certain infections not specific to AIDS. On November 1, Abbott Laboratories announced that the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) had approved clarithromycin, an oral antibiotic which Abbott will mark
** Flu Shots Recommended The flu season may be more severe than usual this year (although no one knows for sure), and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended that everyone at particular risk...should get vaccinated soon. We called the office of Marcus Conant, M. D., who has a large AIDS practi
A September 1991 poll by The Wirthlin Group, a polling company, found that 79 percent of Americans agreed that persons with a fatal illness should be allowed to use promising experimental drugs even if they have not been approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Nineteen percent disagreed, and two percent did
A small but important 15-week study of the experimental HIV treatment N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been delayed because of lack of volunteers. The reasons few people have volunteered have been (1) this trial was not widely known, although it was listed in some directories; (2) until recently it was only open to residents
The long-delayed phase I/II trial of synthetic hypericin has begun in New York; the fourth volunteer received the drug on October 28. The two other trial sites, in Boston and Minneapolis, are expected to begin soon. Volunteers are needed at the Boston, Minneapolis, and possibly New York sites. Hypericin is an antiviral
On October 21, the U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) announced that a major clinical trial comparing foscarnet (brand name Foscavir) to ganciclovir for treatment of CMV retinitis was stopped early after an unexpected finding that patients randomly assigned to foscarnet lived for an average of 12 months, four months lon
** Eighth International AIDS Conference: Dates, Deadlines The Eighth International Conference on AIDS / Third STD World Congress, originally scheduled for Boston but moved due to U. S. travel restrictions on persons with HIV, will be held in Amsterdam on July 19-24, 1992. This conference will be jointly sponsored by Ha
The state of Oregon is now asking the Federal Government s HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration) for permission (in the form of waivers of existing Federal laws) to replace its Medicaid plan with the Oregon Medicaid Demonstration Project for explicit rationing of health care. The goal of the plan is to list medic
Positive results of a clinical trial testing AZT in adult hemophiliacs with asymptomatic HIV infection were published in the August edition of Blood. Protocol 036 of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) was begun in early 1988 as a placebo- controlled trial. The placebo arm was halted two years ago, after another AZT
Clarithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic now under study in the U. S. to treat several infections. Like its chemical cousin, azithromycin, it is hoped that it will be useful for treating toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis and Mycobacterium avium complex ( MAC , formerly known as MAI -- for background information, see AID
On October 9, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration approved ddI (also called didanosine ; its brand name is VIDEX) for treating HIV in adults and children over six months old who cannot effectively use AZT . ddI, developed by Bristol-My
** Marty Blecman Marty Blecman, President of Megatone Records and an AIDS activist, died at his home in San Francisco on September 20, 1991. Marty s introduction to the AIDS activist movement came to him through Terry Sutton, a person with AIDS and CMV retinitis who fought until his own death in April 1989 for access t
** San Francisco: Immune-Based Therapies Panel, October 23 Project Inform and the AIDS Health Project will sponsor an expert panel on Immune-Based Therapies for HIV: Theory and Application, on Wednesday evening, October 23. Speakers are Jay Levy, M. D., from the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Do
The National Commission on AIDS sharply criticized the U. S. government and social response to the epidemic in a 165-page report, America Living with AIDS, issued September 25, 1991. From the executive summary: The people of the United States have arrived at a crossroads in the history of the HIV epidemic. In the mont
Anti-B4 blocked ricin, or Oncolysin B, is a new drug now entering phase I and II trials to treat HIV-associated lymphoma . Lymphoma is usually treated with conventional chemotherapy drugs and radiation; experimental approaches have produced mostly disappointing results (see AIDS TREATMENT NEWS issues #93 and #110).
People who have been unable to tolerate standard treatments for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAI or MAC ) may be eligible for an new expanded-access protocol of azithromycin. This drug and a related antibiotic, clarithromycin, have been suspected for over a year to be very useful for treating a wide spectrum of infecti
On September 27, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approved foscarnet (brand name Foscavir) for treatment of CMV retinitis. In the U. S., foscarnet has been available since August 1990 for treating CMV retinitis which does not respond to ganciclovir. In Europe, the drug has been routinely used for years,
On July 11, Representative Tom Campbell, a liberal Republican who represents the high-tech Silicon Valley area of California and strongly favors measures to improve U. S. technological and industrial competitiveness, introduced H. R. 2872, a bill to direct the U. S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) to
** 1992 AIDS Conference Moves to Amsterdam On September 11, the Harvard AIDS Institute announced that the Eighth International Conference on AIDS, the major AIDS meeting of the year, will take place in Amsterdam in July 1992. It had been planned for Boston; Harvard moved it because given the continued uncertainty about
** The HIV Book: Information for Workers The HIV Book: Information for Workers, a new edition of a handbook by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), describes the proper precautions for healthcare workers in medical or dental settings where HIV may be present. This booklet is based on the generally accepted
Donald Ingber, M. D., Ph.D., is assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, and also on the faculty at Children s Hospital and at Brigham and Women s Hospital, Boston. We interviewed him by phone on September 11. JJ: What is happening now with cancer results in animals? What is new since the Nature pape
An entirely new kind of cancer treatment has been successful in animal tests and is now being prepared for human trials. This new class of drugs works by blocking angiogenesis -- the growth of blood vessels which tumors need to nourish themselves. These drugs may be useful against most if not all solid tumors, whether
Two readers have called AIDS TREATMENT NEWS about our note on hydrogen peroxide ( Warning: Hydrogen Peroxide Might Stimulate HIV Growth, issue #132, August 9, 1991). * One scientist was concerned that our note might be misunderstood by laboratory personnel, who often use hydrogen peroxide to clean up laboratory spills
The following information was provided by the Division of Quarantine, U. S Centers for Disease control, Atlanta, Georgia. These counts are for the 60-day public comment period which ended August 2, 1991. Letters and postcards are counted together. Total letters received: 118,468. Of these, 117,902 were from individuals
Last June 7 AIDS TREATMENT NEWS joined dozens of organizations urging people to write to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to oppose the travel and immigration ban prohibiting foreigners with HIV from entering the U. S., during the CDC s public-comment period which ended August 2. While the AIDS community cou
A number of medical journal reports in recent years have dealt with recurring questions of nutritional excesses and deficiencies in HIV infection. In particular, zinc, cobalamin (vitamin B12), and folic acid (folate) deficiencies, and excessive levels of copper have been connected to AIDS. The May, 1991 edition of AIDS
Nutrition, the most malnourished branch of Western medicine, is one of the hardest to address. The field is vast and amorphous, filled with science and speculation, and with wildly conflicting voices. Viewed from a distance, it seems to offer a choice between an establishment which can be credible to the point of being
** Molluscum Contagiosum : Low-Dose Alpha Interferon Trial, San Francisco Persons with moderate or severe molluscum contagiosum which has failed other treatments may be eligible for a clinical trial of low-dose alpha interferon (5 million units daily by subcutaneous injection). The trial is sponsored by the Community
On August 16 the Harvard AIDS Institute, organizer of the Eighth International Conference on AIDS which had been scheduled for May 24 through 29 in Boston, announced that it was cancelling the Boston meeting and would attempt to reschedule it outside the United States . The Eighth International Conference -- subtitled
Many of the most common and debilitating symptoms associated with HIV infection involve the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, gall bladder, bile duct, colon (large intestine), rectum, and anus. These symptoms include painful oral sores, difficulty swal
Tom O Connor, a founder of the buyers club movement and principal author of one of the early, and best, books on AIDS treatments, died of pulmonary Kaposi s sarcoma on July 27. He was 44. When Tom, with co-author Ahmed Gonzalez-Nunez, published Living with AIDS: Reaching Out in 1987, he had had AIDS- related symptoms f
** Tat Inhibitor: Trial Seeks Volunteers The only human trial of an important new class of anti-HIV drugs has begun and is now recruiting volunteers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. This study, designed primarily to establish safe and potentially effective oral dose levels, will require a single eleven-day sta
In a survey of leading physicians in 15 different specialities, published in the August 5 issue of U. S. News and World Report, AIDS specialists listed San Francisco General as the best hospital in the nation for AIDS treatment, giving it more than twice as many mentions as the next leading contender. Other hospitals l
Researchers at Stanford University have told AIDS TREATMENT NEWS that hydrogen peroxide has been found to stimulate growth of HIV in laboratory tests. Apparently it does this by affecting the complex systems of chemical messengers which control cell (and viral) growth. A second laboratory has confirmed much of the init
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is proposing to revise the surveillance definition of AIDS in adults and adolescents to include anyone who is HIV positive and has 200 or fewer T- helper cells (also known as CD4 cells). This will increase the number of people with HIV who are eligible for free health care and othe
A new member of the quinolone family of antibiotics is about to be tested against Mycobacterium avium complex ( MAC , also called MAI) at twelve clinical trial sites around the U. S. The new possibility, called sparfloxacin, has been found to be more active against MAC than the older quinolones, including ciprofloxacin
In November 1990 both Project Inform and AIDS TREATMENT NEWS reported that remarkably good results had been found in a Federally-supported clinical trial of combination treatment with two antiretrovirals, ddC and AZT .
We spoke with Michael Lange, M. D., of St. Luke s-Roosevelt Hospital Center at Columbia University, who has 15 patients who have used Imuthiol, plus six acyclovir tablets per day, for at least two years; most did not use AZT . These 15 started with T- helper counts between 100 and 275. While the number of patients is
As our last issue went to press, we learned that Imuthiol (also called diethyldithiocarbamate, ditiocarb, or DTC) was being withdrawn by its sponsor, Institut Merieux of Lyon, France , after disappointing results from a preliminary analysis of a large clinical trial in France -- results suggesting that study participan
** Group Helps HIV-Infected Physicians; Assistance Urgently Needed The Medical Expertise Retention Program (see AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #125, April 19, 1991), a project of the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, assists HIV-infected physicians and also speaks publicly for rational policies on healthcare wo
AIDS TREATMENT NEWS never has and never will sell or share its subscriber list with any other organization. We restate this policy for two reasons: * In our last issue, when we added the masthead on page 2, we inadvertently left out the confidentiality statement. The original text is back in this issue, and of course t
In 1978 the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approved a compassionate use program to make marijuana (Cannabis sativa) available to people diagnosed with glaucoma, multiple sclerosis or cancer. Outside of this access, of course, the government has made possession of marijuana a crime and a target of its war on drugs
TIBO derivatives are a class of very selective inhibitors of HIV; because of their selectivity, they are expected to have low toxicity as drugs. TIBO derivatives are reverse- transcriptase inhibitors, but (unlike AZT , ddI, and ddC ) not nucleoside analogs
On July 19 the Antiviral Drug Products Advisory Committee, a panel of non-government experts chosen by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ), recommended that the FDA approve the AIDS antiviral dideoxyinosine (ddI, brand name VIDEX) for adults and children who cannot tolerate or are not adequately responding t
** Correction: Date of Last Issue Our last issue was incorrectly dated July 26. The date should have been June 28. AIDS TREATMENT NEWS is usually published on the first and third Friday of each month. The June 28 and both July issues have been delayed a week due to travel to conferences. Our next issue will be dated Ju
Issue #126 of AIDS TREATMENT NEWS included an interview with three physicians who work at a California correctional facility in Vacaville -- Drs. Jessica Clarke, German Maisonet and Jan Diamond. Since then, a number of related developments have come to our attention. Reports of Poor Treatment The HIV medical care at Va
* The Positive Woman is a national newsletter by and for HIV-positive women and their families and friends. It includes news on standard medical treatments, alternative treatments, referral information, and letters from subscribers. Recent issues have included articles on legal matters, sexuality, spirituality, vaccine
The first study of a new compound, called CD4-PE40, is currently seeking volunteers with T-helper counts of 500 or less. They must be willing to abstain from all other experimental therapies for four weeks prior to the trial and during the course of the four-week study; they may, however, take
Issue #121 of AIDS TREATMENT NEWS contained a short overview of possible treatments for HIV-related peripheral neuropathy , with a call for our readers to share their experience with us. Two people did so, and we relay that information below, as well as some brief news regarding neuropathy presented at the Seventh Inte
Much of the Seventh International Conference on AIDS (June 16-21 in Florence, Italy ) was devoted to presentations about vaccine development in laboratory studies, animal models, and human trials. Although vaccines have traditionally been used to prevent uninfected individuals from acquiring a new infection, much of th
Our last issue (AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #128) included an action kit on how to write letters supporting the lifting of the ban on persons with HIV entering the United States , and a list of organizations you can contact; it also included an in-depth background article on the controversy. [If you need a copy, send a self-ad
Tom Hannan, age 40, one of the principal founders of the movement for community-based clinical trials, died of AIDS on June 4, 1991, at his home in Manhattan. Hannan was the volunteer administrator who worked with medical professionals and community leaders to put together New York s Community Research Initiative in 19
Our friend and former AIDS TREATMENT NEWS staff member Rene Lopez died on May 14. Rene came to San Francisco from El Salvador several years ago, and spent much of his time collecting treatment information for the newsletter and for Spanish-speaking friends. He was proud of the progress he had made in addiction recovery
Persons with mycobacterium avium complex ( MAC , also called MAI) may now qualify for clarithromycin treatment through an open trial protocol being run by Abbott Laboratories . Clarithromycin, the most important new treatment for MAC, is also available by importation from countries where it has been appr
A newly described micro-organism has been found to cause opportunistic infections in persons with HIV -- infections which can mimic symptoms of Kaposi s sarcoma (KS) and Mycobacterium avium complex ( MAC , also called MAI). The infectious agent is a previously unknown bacillus which is believed to be related to Rochali
There was little truly new, practical treatment information presented in Florence at the Seventh International Conference on AIDS. The bulk of the research on opportunistic infections focused on the incidence and diagnosis of these diseases; most of the clinical information came from relatively small confirmatory studi
On Monday, July 8, leading HIV clinicians will review the Florence conference, and answer questions on the management of HIV disease, at a free public meeting in San Francisco. Scheduled speakers are Marcus Conant, M. D. (moderator), Donald Francis, M. D., Leon McKusick, Ph.D., Robert Schooley, M. D., Paul Volberding,
A statement in the May 23, 1991, New England Journal of Medicine, supporting routine HIV testing of physicians, hospital patients, and others, has been widely misinterpreted as an endorsement by the influential Journal of moving away from the policy of voluntary HIV testing with informed consent. (See, for example, Me
AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #127 reported that Hoffmann-La Roche had indefinitely postponed a small trial of its tat-gene inhibitor, code-named Ro 24-7429, the only drug of this class being developed. The trial had been cancelled for business reasons; there were no scientific or medical grounds to abandon the drug. On May 29
This background article addresses two different audiences. It is both an introduction for persons not familiar with AIDS and the HIV exclusion issue, and also a resource for activists; it includes information not generally available or not published before. Chronology * The U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) has long ma
On June 1, 1991, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under great pressure from conservatives, suspended plans supported by virtually all public-health experts and extended the ban on HIV-positive travelers and immigrants entering the United States . The Centers for Disease Control, a branch of HHS,
Our next issue, originally scheduled for June 21 will be delayed a week because we will be attending the Seventh International Conference on AIDS in Florence, Italy , June 16-21.
Last week the U. S. Government, overruling the virtually unanimous recommendation of medical and public-health experts throughout the world, continued to ban both immigration and travel by persons with HIV into the United States . This action followed receipt of 35,000 letters and postcards, mostly generated by right-w
** BI-RG-587 Trial Begins On April 19 AIDS TREATMENT NEWS reported that the planned dose-ranging trial of BI-RG-587 had not yet begun, and that the drug had been taken by no more than a dozen people, none of whom received more than a single dose. The new trial (ACTG 0164) opened later in April, but at this time only 30
In a serious setback to AIDS treatment development, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. indefinitely postponed trials of its tat inhibitor (code named RO 24-7429), the only such drug in development. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where the trial was about to begin, were described as shocked by the news, which
Part II: Questions, Objections, and Explanations Question: How do you know that there are any home-run drugs for this system to find? Reply: No one can know until trials are done. But today there are many potential drugs which might be major advances -- either alone, or in combination treatments. Only a handful are rea
Today s advances in basic science and biotechnology offer new opportunities for major progress in treating AIDS and other diseases. But current systems for developing and approving new drugs reflect an earlier era; they cannot respond rapidly to today s developments. Even the current debate about drug-approval reform (
A controlled trial of peptide T, an experimental treatment which some researchers believe may be helpful in treating neurological effects sometimes caused by AIDS, is now seeking at least 150 volunteers. This one-year trial, jointly sponsored by the U. S. National Institute of Mental Health and the U. S. National Insti
Under any circumstances, coping with HIV infection is difficult. But the challenge may be made easier with certain privileges, such as financial mobility, or access to cutting-edge research. Such privileges are not available to people living behind prison bars. Over the past several years, we have received many letters
As reported previously in AIDS TREATMENT NEWS, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that HIV -- along with all other diseases except active tuberculosis -- be dropped as grounds for excluding visitors and immigrants from the United States . But conservative Republicans are now pressuring Pre
The American Association of Physicians for Human Rights (AAPHR), a national organization of gay and lesbian physicians, is sponsoring an effort to protect the rights and livelihoods of doctors and other health workers from proposals requiring disclosure of their HIV status. The Medical Expertise Retention Program, The
The U. S. Division of AIDS has issued a warning to physicians that patients using ddI and also using dapsone, a drug for pneumocystis prophylaxis, should not take the drugs within two hours of each other. The problem is that dapsone requires an acid environment in order to be dissolved; but ddI cannot tolerate an acid
Hypericin is an antiviral found in a common plant, St. John s wort, a medicinal herb. Unfortunately, there is very little of the chemical in the plant, and laboratory and animal studies suggest that the dose available in common herbal preparations is too small to be effective. People with AIDS or HIV have used these he
On April 11, ACT UP/Golden Gate in San Francisco wrote to the Primary Infection Committee of the ACTG (AIDS Clinical Trials Group, funded by the U. S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) urging an immediate trial to test BI-RG-587 in comparison with AZT , and with the combinat
A phase II trial of L-697,661 (also called L-661), an important new antiviral developed by Merck & Co. , will begin soon at the U. S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) near Washington, D. C.; about 75 volunteers will be enrolled. A similar but not identical trial will be conducted at the
Advances in understanding the life cycle of HIV have quietly led to the development of many potential designer drugs for treating HIV disease. Several of the new drugs are now beginning human trials. Because of the advances they represent, we believe there is more hope now than ever before for improvements in AIDS trea
* International AIDS Conference: Free Passes for Persons with HIV; Apply by April 12 The VII International Conference on AIDS, June 16-21 in Florence, Italy , is offering free passes to persons with HIV who would like to attend the Conference but cannot afford the registration fee. Requests should be received by April
A lawsuit prepared by Public Citizen, a nonprofit public interest group founded by Ralph Nader, has challenged Burroughs Wellcome s 1988 patent on AZT (brand name Retrovir). The lawsuit claims that the patent is invalid because the company did not conceive, develop or demonstrate the utility of the drug, nor did it nam
The First National Children with HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will be held on the Mall near the Capitol Building in Washington, D. C., on Tuesday, June 11, 1991. This event is being spearheaded by the Sunburst National AIDS Project, an organization which sponsors a summer camp for HIV-positive children and their families. Su
Two clinical trials testing oral ganciclovir in people with CMV infection have recently opened at seven centers around the United States . The larger study is for people with newly diagnosed CMV retinitis. The second trial is designed to evaluate the effects of food on the absorption of oral ganciclovir.
A major San Francisco study of AIDS progression is finding that about 11 percent of persons infected with HIV are completely healthy ten or more years later; they not only have no HIV-related symptoms, but also have normal T-helper counts. A formal report on intensive studies of some of these patients is being prepared
Abbott Laboratories has contacted the U. S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) and proposed a draft protocol for compassionate use of clarithromycin for persons with AIDS who have mycobacterium avium complex ( MAC , also called MAI).
To help support strategic, individualized programs for controlling HIV disease, we interviewed Larry Bruni, M. D., a Washington, D. C., physician who has maintained a large HIV practice for several years. Dr. Bruni is known as an innovator in the care of his patients; a Cable News Network (CNN) interview with him shoul
On March 6 the new FDA Commissioner David Kessler, M. D., told Senator Edward Kennedy s Labor and Human Resources Committee that the FDA would not obstruct drugs for AIDS or other life- threatening diseases. According to reporter Nick Bartolomeo of the gay newspaper The Washington Blade, Dr. Kessler told the Committee
Thymopentin, also known as TP-5, is a synthesized derivative of thymopoietin, a naturally occurring hormone responsible for inducing T-cell precursors to differentiate and mature. A study at the Istituto di Patologia Medica in Bari, Italy , reported thymopentin-related increases in T4 cells and some improvement in symp
Two San Francisco labor unions have implemented HIV care programs which could serve as models for other organizations. The programs concern insurance coverage for HIV treatments, and a long-term union effort to improve HIV care at a major medical center. Restaurant Workers Win HIV Coverage Local 2 of the San Francisco
On March 7 the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) raided the Orlando, Florida, office of Trans-Aid and the home of its founder and director, Alfredo Martinez-Garcia. AZT and other medications were seized. No criminal charges have been filed. In the week after the raid, the Florida AIDS Legal Defense and Educ
Because the immune systems of children and infants are very different from those of adults, HIV infection often manifests itself uniquely in these populations. Therefore, standard treatment and prophylaxis guidelines in adults often have little relevance for infants and children. Clinicians and parents of HIV-infected
A study of hospital records, published February 23, 1991, in The Lancet, has suggested that low-dose co-trimoxazole (also called Bactrim, Septra, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, etc. -- there are many different names for this drug) was more effective than aerosol pentamidine for preventing pneumocystis, may also help pr
Hoffmann-La Roche , the developer of the anti-HIV drug ddC , has arranged with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration to submit its New Drug Application (NDA) for that drug in sections as they are ready, for stepwise review by the FDA , instead of the usual procedur
A pilot study of the experimental compound 566C80 in patients with toxoplasmosis who have failed or who are intolerant to standard therapy has recently opened at eight sites in seven U. S. cities (see list below). 566C80 has wide spectrum anti- protozoal activity, and is being tested against pneumocystis as well as aga
With the increasing use of pneumocystis prophylaxis, anti-retroviral treatment, and subtle improvements in the management of opportunistic infections, people with AIDS are living longer today than several years ago. Unfortunately, as people live longer, increasing numbers are having to cope with complications of Kaposi
** San Francisco: Forum on Women and HIV The AIDS Health Project is sponsoring a public forum on women living with HIV, to be held Wednesday, February 27, 1991, from 7-9 p. m., at 1855 Folsom Street, Room 125. The forum will feature panel discussions and workshops on the gynecological manifestations of HIV, treatments
An organization or an individual can set up a basic AIDS library for relatively little cost. A few reference books, newsletters, and referral phone numbers are most important as the core reference materials. After that, there are many directions in which a library can evolve, and specialization is appropriate, as few c
Neuropathy has become a problem for many people with HIV infection, and can develop for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, it might be controllable with a number of promising treatments, many already available for other purposes. The progression of HIV alone can apparently lead to two different disorders of the periphe
A laboratory study by Anthony Fauci, M. D., and other scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and at the Cornell University Medical College in New York City, has confirmed and extended earlier work by Dr. Leonard A. Herzenberg and colleagues at Stanford University suggesting that n
Data released this week from a U. S. Veterans Administration (VA) study suggested that early treatment with AZT (for persons with T-helper counts of 200 to 500) might not be helpful to Blacks and Latinos, and might even be harmful. (The study did not question later treatment, for anyone with T-helper count under 200.
(1) ddC /ddI Comparison Study Recruiting A major trial to compare antivirals ddC and ddI is now seeking 400 participants in cities throughout the United States . Volunteers must either be at least age 13, be unable to tolerate AZ
(1) British Study: People with AIDS Living Twice As Long A study of medical records, published January 25 in the British Medical Journal, found that AIDS survival doubled between 1984 and 1987, from a median of 10 months to 20 months, among patients treated at St. Mary s Hospital in London. According to a Reuters repor
The new year provided an occasion to examine our mission and direction, and ask how we would like to change. What issues affect our decisions on what to cover, or not cover, in AIDS TREATMENT NEWS? In this article we step back for a more philosophical overview of how we try to operate. There have long been public conce
California residents can now buy health insurance regardless of health status -- meaning that no one is too sick to qualify -- under a new state program beginning February 1. This program, the State of California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program, subsidizes insurance companies to provide health coverage to persons
Immune globulin is a concentrated and purified solution rich in antibodies from pooled human blood. It has been tested for some time in children with HIV, and some adults, as a method of bolstering their immunity to various bacterial infections. The antibody protection obtained from immune globulin is considered a shor
When San Francisco was struck by the Loma Prieta Earthquake in October 1989, the American public, the governments of California and the United States , and the international media devoted weeks of attention to the rescue stories and recovery efforts. Congress arranged for speedy economic help to the Bay Area, and insur
** Seventh International Conference: Early Deadlines January 28 The 1991 International Conference on AIDS is in Florence, Italy on June 16-21. The earliest deadlines occur next week, January 28: * Deadline for hotel reservation and deposit; * Deadline for lower-cost advance registration fee (Lit. 500,000 general, 150
On December 21, 1990, AIDS TREATMENT NEWS mentioned FLT, an antiviral that we had listed two years ago as an important potential AIDS/HIV treatment. We said that we had found no published articles about FLT in a recent computer search, and assumed that the drug was not being developed. In fact, FLT is being developed b
For several months there have been increasing reports of difficulty in obtaining peptide T, an experimental treatment which is generally agreed to be safe and is in clinical trials. (AIDS TREATMENT NEWS last covered peptide T in issue #84, July 28, 1989.) Recently the situation came to a head when two buyers groups had
Crucial issues on how to prove efficacy for new-drug approval will be considered at a meeting of the FDA s Antiviral Drug Products Advisory Committee on February 13 and 14, near Washington, DC. The meeting is open to the public. The Wednesday, February 13, session concerns endpoints in AIDS trials, and the role of CD4
For a practical look at AIDS treatment advances, we interviewed Paula Sparti, M. D., who has a large HIV and family practice in Miami, Florida. Dr. Sparti also participates in the recently reconvened immune-based therapies group at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Traditionally, most AIDS/HIV treatments have be
** Women and AIDS Town Meeting, San Francisco, January 16 There will be a town meeting on women and HIV on January 16, 1991, 7:30 p.m., at the Women s Building, 3543 - 18th Street, in San Francisco. The meeting will be a presentation to the community of information from the first National Conference on Women and HIV In
The first National Conference on Women and HIV Infection was held December 13-14, 1990, in Washington, DC. It marked the first time that so many women with HIV, care providers, and activists had met specifically to talk about women and AIDS. The main issues discussed at the conference were the need for adequate health
Last August 17, AIDS TREATMENT NEWS published an in-depth look at the possibility that ordinary aspirin might have a role in AIDS treatment -- as an immune modulator, not just for minor symptom relief. One of the physicians we interviewed, Joseph Sonnabend, M. D., in New York, called recently to warn us of the importan
Much AIDS news today concerns the campaign for a rapid FDA evaluation of the experimental AIDS antivirals ddC and ddI -- the issue we listed as the most important treatment development to watch in 1991 (AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #117, December 21, 1990). The decisions now being made will affect not only thes
Merck & Co. is conducting human trials on two new antivirals, known as L-697,639 and L-697,661. The trials began in Europe about a month ago, and are about to begin at the U. S. National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. According to a Merck spokesman quoted in the Los Angeles Times (December 22, busine
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.