                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                       August 11, 1994

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
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Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


"H.I.V. Settlement Is Rejected"
New York Times (08/11/94) P. D15
     Two groups representing hemophiliacs who acquired HIV through 
contaminated blood products have declined a proposed $160 million
settlement with Baxter International Inc. and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer
Inc.  Under that pact, the two companies would pay about $30,000 
to each of the 5,000 to 6,000 individual who contracted the virus
through the use of their products.  But Jonathan Wadleigh, 
chairman of the hemophilia plaintiffs' advisory group and head of
the Committee of Ten Thousand hemophilia advocacy group, says, 
"the number of dollars being offered is totally inadequate."  
Related Story: Boston Globe (08/10) P. 47
      
"Growth Drug Prevents AIDS Wasting"
United Press International (08/11/94);  Kelly, Janis
     Researchers announced in Yokohama, Japan, on Thursday that a 
growth hormone manufactured by Serono Laboratories could be 
effective in fighting the drastic weight loss common among AIDS 
patients.  The drug, which has been submitted to the FDA for 
approval as an investigational new drug, has been shown to 
convert fatty tissue to muscle, an important factor in the 
patients' endurance level, according to Dr. Morris Schambelan.
      
"New Drugs Said to Show Promise in Fight Against the AIDS Virus"
New York Times (08/11/94) P. A16;  Pollack, Andrew
     A new class of drugs called protease inhibitors could be the 
newest weapon in the war against AIDS, scientists said in 
Yokohama, Japan, on Wednesday, but the usefulness of these drugs 
is questionable.  There are now about six versions of protease 
inhibitors being tested on patients and about 20 others in early 
development, but these drugs are not a cure for AIDS.  At most, 
they can prolong a patient's life or delay the onset of AIDS 
after HIV infection, although even this effect is short-lived 
because the virus develops a resistance to protease inhibitors 
after a few months.  Many researchers hope that a combination of 
protease inhibitors with other drugs will make it more difficult 
for the virus to develop such a resistance.
      
"Summit to Call for End to HIV Travel Restrictions"
Reuters (08/11/94)
     Although French Health Minister Simone Veil hopes that an AIDS 
summit scheduled in Paris this December will push for an end to 
travel restrictions for HIV patients, she admits that some 
countries may refuse to lift existing bans.  "We know that this 
will not be implemented all over the world," she concedes.  "What
we want is maximum implementation, especially by democratic 
countries."  Many nations, including the United States and most 
Arab countries, deny entry to people who have HIV or AIDS.
      
"Rapid Rise of AIDS in Asia Aggravating Risk of Tuberculosis"
New York Times (08/11/94) P. A16
     The rapid spread of AIDS in Asia promises to unleash an even 
larger tuberculosis epidemic on the world's most populous 
continent, warns the World Health Organization.  Speaking at a 
news conference at the 10th International Conference on AIDS, 
WHO's Dr. Arata Kochi said the collision of the two diseases 
would create "a co-epidemic that will surpass what is now taking 
place in Africa and other parts of the world."  According to the 
global health agency, as many as 70 percent of AIDS patients in 
some parts of Asia also have tuberculosis.  WHO predicts that the
percentage of TB deaths attributable to HIV infection could jump 
from 1.7 percent in 1990 to 10.3 percent by the end of the 
decade.
      
"AIDS-Related Diagnostic Tools Start to Help in Understanding the Disease"
Wall Street Journal (08/11/94) P. B6;  Hamilton, David P.
     New AIDS-related diagnostic tools, known as direct-viral assays, 
are providing an unprecedented peek at how the disease invades 
and destroys the human body.  Researchers have previously 
assessed the progression of HIV infection primarily through 
observance of cells and proteins in a patient's immune system--a 
method that has not proven useful to researchers seeking the best
time to initiate treatment with antiviral drugs that interfere 
with HIV replication.  Direct-viral assays, however, measure the 
quantity of HIV in the blood by counting RNA molecules produced 
by the virus during replication.  This approach may be helpful in
monitoring the efficacy of drugs that directly attack HIV, and 
also may alert clinicians when a therapy begins to lose potency. 
The one big problem with the new diagnostic tools is that it has 
not yet been clearly shown that the level of HIV is directly 
correlated to the symptoms of disease.
      
"A Call for Needle Exchange Funding"
USA Today (08/11/94) P. 1D;  Levy, Doug
     The United States must implement needle exchanges or similar 
programs to reduce the rate of AIDS transmission among 
intravenous drug users, insist experts attending the 10th 
International Conference on AIDS in Yokohama, Japan.  Current law
prohibits federal funding for needle exchange programs unless the
government declares that they prevent the spread of HIV without 
encouraging illicit drug use.  "It's reasonable to have that 
concern," concedes Dr. Peter Lurie of the University of 
California--San Francisco's Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.  
"But the data show no evidence to support that drug abuse 
increases with needle exchange programs."  Lurie's analysis of 23
programs in the United States and abroad found that needle 
exchanges lowered the risk of AIDS, hepatitis, and other 
blood-borne diseases.  But Victor Zonana of Health and Human 
Services says that while the department has been listening to the
arguments for needle exchange programs, Lurie's report does not 
prove the efficacy of such programs and federal funding for them 
is not likely any time soon.
      
"Washington & World"
Investor's Business Daily (08/11/94) P. A1
     The youngest HIV-infected patients will be among the first to 
receive the latest and most dramatic treatment, say researchers 
at the 10th International Conference on AIDS.  The new approach 
is a form of genetic manipulation that arms blood cells with a 
protein that kills viruses.
      
"Community to Have Say on AIDS Center"
Washington Post (08/11/94) P. D.C.5;  Young, Vincent
     Officials from the Whitman-Walker Clinic and community leaders in
Ward 8 of the District of Columbia have decided to resolve their 
differences and cooperate in the selection of a location for a 
new AIDS facility.  The two sides squared off when the clinic 
failed to consult that community about its plans to construct a 
new Max Robinson Center in its midst.  Members of the Advisory 
Neighborhood Commission 8C accused clinic officials of being 
insensitive to their concerns and threatened to block 
construction of the 4,500-square-foot center, which will include 
a food bank, rooms for medical treatment, a client lounge, 
courtyard, and parking lot.  Whitman-Walker admitted its mistake.
According to clinic board member Riley Temple, two sites 
suggested by Ward 8 leaders are being considered for the new 
facility and clinic officials will participate in a community 
forum later this month to air views on the center.
      
