                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      November 7, 1995

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement
by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Panel Recommends New AIDS Drug"
"In Brief: FDA Commissioner David Kessler"
"Trying To Design Brand New Drugs By Supercomputer"
"Radiant: PDT Inc. Is Shining a Light on New Drug Treatments"
"Social Security Bars Claim in AIDS Bias Suit"
"HIV-Related Alterations in Sleep Physiology"
"Cats May Help Fight AIDS"
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"Panel Recommends New AIDS Drug"
Washington Post (11/07/95) P. A5;  Neergaard, Lauran
     An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 
has recommended that the experimental drug 3TC be approved for 
use in moderately advanced to advanced AIDS patients and as an 
initial therapy for the disease as well.  Recent studies have 
shown that a combination of 3TC and AZT boosted the immune system
of infected individuals and reduced the level of HIV in their 
blood.  The advisory committee noted that 3TC should not be used 
alone and warned that it must carry a warning that it may cause 
pancreatitis in children, though the drug does not appear to 
cause any more side effects in adults than does AZT alone.  The 
FDA is not required to adopt the recommendations of advisory 
panels, but it generally does.  Related Stories: Wall Street 
Journal (11/07) P. B7; New York Times (11/07) P. C5; USA Today 
(11/07) P. 1D
      
"In Brief: FDA Commissioner David Kessler"
Investor's Business Daily (11/07/95) P. A1
     A class of new drugs up for review at the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) represents "the best news we've had in a 
while" concerning AIDS, according to David Kessler, FDA 
Commissioner.
      
"Trying To Design Brand New Drugs By Supercomputer"
New York Times (11/07/95) P. C1;  Brody, Jane E.
     A different approach to designing drugs called rational or 
structure-based drug design is being pursued by researchers at 
Cornell University and other research institutions and drug 
companies.  Using a supercomputer that can create an image of a 
molecule in three dimensions, scientists can manipulate computer 
dials to construct a molecule that disables it.  The goal is to 
devise inhibitors that can block the enzymes crucial to disease 
progression.  This systematic way of creating new drugs has not 
produced a drug yet, but it looks promising for developing 
treatments to combat AIDS, African sleeping sickness, and cancer,
among others.
      
"Radiant: PDT Inc. Is Shining a Light on New Drug Treatments"
Investor's Business Daily (11/06/95) P. A4;  Lau, Gloria
     New light-activated drugs are making a name for California-based 
PDT Inc.  The drugs, which are selectively retained by diseased 
or cancerous cells, are activated by light, which produces a 
photochemical reaction in the targeted area.  The new process 
combines drugs with medical devices to treat numerous diseases 
including AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, skin cancer, heart 
disease, eye disorders, and urological conditions.  PDT has so 
far signed deals with Pharmacia SpA, Cordis, and Boston 
Scientific, and several of its innovative drugs are in clinical 
and preclinical trials.
      
"Social Security Bars Claim in AIDS Bias Suit"
Human Resource Executive (10/95) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 14;  Baran, 
Frank
     A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that people who seek 
Social Security benefits cannot also claim to be a "qualified 
individual with a disability" who can work.  U.S. District Judge 
Clarence C. Newcomer was ruling in the case of Leonard McNemar, 
who sued his former employer, The Disney Stores Inc., for 
allegedly firing him because he had AIDS.  McNemar argued he was 
dismissed just one week after a district manager asked him if he 
was HIV-infected.  However, Disney claimed that McNemar was fired
for taking two dollars from the cash register to give to a 
salesperson to buy cigarettes for him.  The salesperson turned 
McNemar in on the company's loss-prevention hotline.  Despite 
these arguments, Newcomer chose instead to focus on McNemar's 
application for Social Security benefits.  He granted Disney's 
request for summary judgment and dismissed the case.  McNemar's 
application states that he is "totally and permanently disabled,"
though a physician claims on the same form that he is able to 
work.  McNemar's lawyer explains this disparity by noting that 
the Social Security Administration considers AIDS "a presumptive 
disability"--one that is equal to a finding of automatic 
disability.
      
"HIV-Related Alterations in Sleep Physiology"
Focus (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 11, P. 7
     Two small studies determined that the sleep patterns of 
asymptomatic HIV seropositive men differed from standard cycles. 
In the first study, researchers found that although sleep 
efficiency was greater than 90 percent, there was an increase in 
slow wave sleep in the second half of the night--a finding 
contrary to normative sleep cycles.  Researchers in the second 
study observed specific changes in the pattern of slow wave 
sleep, rapid eye movement (REM), non-REM sleep cycles, and 
overall percentage of slow wave sleep time.  Both the 
seropositive and seronegative groups studied reported only vague 
and mild sleep complaints, most of which related to falling 
asleep and remaining asleep.  There was, however, no correlation 
discovered between such sleep disturbances and the alterations in
sleep cycles.  Overall, these two studies confirm that sleep 
disturbances take place both before and separately from 
HIV-related secondary infections and psychiatric reasons.
      
"Cats May Help Fight AIDS"
Futurist (11/95-12/95) Vol. 29, No. 6, P. 5
     Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) destroys cats' immune systems
in a manner similar to how HIV attacks the human immune system, 
theorize researchers at Texas A&M University.  The scientists are
trying to find ways to bolster felines' immune systems so they 
can better defend themselves against FIV.  As a result of this 
research, they hope to ultimately aid humans' fight against 
HIV/AIDS.
      
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