AEGiS-GMHC: TREATMENT BRIEFS: New Theories on KS, But Still No SP-PG Trial

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

TREATMENT BRIEFS: New Theories on KS, But Still No SP-PG Trial

TREATMENT ISSUES, Volume 6, Number 5; The Gay Men's Health Crisis Newsletter of Experimental Therapies - May/June 1992
David Gold

Two dramatically different theories about the cause of Kaposi's Sarcoma KS) have recently been published. Researchers have long been puzzled over the common occurrence of KS in HlV-positive gay men as compared to people who were exposed to HIV through injecting drugs. One theory proposes that KS is caused by a strain of the human papilloma virus (HPV). Another proposes that KS is caused by a microorganism found in feces and may be associated with oral-fecal contact (rimming). Perhaps the most promising treatment for KS is SP-PG, under development by the Japanese company, Daiichi Pharmaceuticals. A recent report in Science suggests that in laboratory cells SP-PG stops the growth of KS with little apparent toxicity. So far, however, the company has refused to meet with activists to discuss when human trials will begin. Because of the desperate need for effective and non-toxic KS therapies, continued and increased pressure must be brought to bear on Daiichi.

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