                     AIDS Daily Summary
                     September 13, 1994

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

"HIV Sufferers and Relatives Bare Anguish"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/13/94) P. A1;  Shaw, Donna
     "Why did the nation allow us and our loved ones to contract
AIDS from contaminated hemophilia medicine?" was the question asked by
mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and more at a public hearing
held by the Institute of Medicine's Committee to Study HIV
Transmission Through Blood Products.  The committee was formed to
determine whether more could have been done between 1982 and 1986
to prevent HIV contamination and how a future tragedy can be
prevented.  Many hemophiliacs blame the government and industry
for failing to warn of the risks and to properly test the blood.
Manufacturers and the FDA claim they responded as soon as
possible, considering that so little was known about AIDS at the
time.  During that time, hemophiliacs were told to continue
taking their medicine and that the risk of bleeding to death was
much higher than the possibility of contracting AIDS.  This
emotional session is the second of four meetings planned by the
committee, which will issue its report in May 1995.  Related
Story: Washington Post (09/13) P. A19; Baltimore Sun (09/13) P.
B1

"Don't Expect New AIDS Drug Soon, Maker Tells FDA"
Washington Post (09/13/94) P. A19
     Saquinavir, an experimental drug anticipated by AIDS
patients, will not be available outside of clinical trials until at least
mid-1995, say manufacturer F. Hoffmann La Roche & Co.  The news
comes as the FDA holds hearings on whether the government should
allow faster access to new treatments.  Saquinavir, a first in a
new family of potential AIDS drugs known as protease inhibitors,
is so complicated to make that Hoffmann La Roche will not have
enough to give to patients that are not in its strictly
controlled clinical trials.  Researcher Waijen Soo warned that
even when saquinavir is available under the FDA's expanded access
program, fewer patients will receive it than any other
experimental drug.

"Two Firms Try to Turn Thalidomide From Horror to Hope"
Washington Post (09/13/94) P. D1;  Day, Kathleen
     EntreMed Inc. and Andrulis Pharmaceuticals Corp. are leading
the campaign to reinstate thalidomide as a useful drug.  EntreMed is
working with doctors from Harvard Medical School and an
affiliated children's hospital to investigate thalidomide's
effectiveness in halting a common type of blindness.  Andrulis,
which claims to be the only FDA-approved thalidomide maker in the
United States,  is co-sponsoring human trials of thalidomide as a
treatment for mouth ulcers in AIDS patients, asbestos inhalation,
intestinal disorder, and multiple sclerosis.  Two of the Andrulis
studies are receiving funding from the National Institutes of
Health.

"Couples Using Condoms Are Safer"
Baltimore Sun (09/13/94) P. 5D;  Margolis, Simeon
     While abstinence is the most certain way to avoid HIV
infection, couples that always use condoms during intercourse are safer,
says Dr. Simeon Margolis, professor of medicine and biological
chemistry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  He cites a
European study that followed HIV-negative people who had a stable
relationship with an HIV-positive partner.  Among the 124 couples
who used condoms during intercourse, no HIV infection was
reported.  There was a noticeable rate of transmission among
those couples who used condoms inconsistently.  Margolis notes
that some couples believe they are safe because HIV has not been
transmitted, even though they do not use condoms.  They are not
safe, however, because the amount of HIV in the blood varies over
time and the risk of becoming infected is greater during the
later stages of the disease.

"Canada Vows to Clean Up Blood System"
Reuters (09/12/94);  Willmer, Tanya
     In response to a damning U.S. report on the safety of a
Toronto blood donor center, Canada announced Monday that it would improve
its blood collection system.  The U.S. report caused some
Canadian plasma to be barred from entering the United States
until the Canadian Red Cross meets its safety and quality
regulations and is able to qualify for an FDA license.  Canadian
government and Red Cross officials insist that the problem has
been blown out of proportion and that Canadians' safety was never
at risk.  Officials are trying to regain the public's confidence
in this matter, as well as the tainted blood difficulty during
the 1980s, which infected more than 1,000 hemophiliacs and
blood-transfusion patients with HIV.  Improvements to the
Canadian system include yearly inspections of blood centers,
establishment of an expert advisory committee on standards and
procedures, and cooperation with the FDA to "harmonize" with the
U.S. and Canadian blood systems, says Diane Marleau, Canadian
Health Minister.  She adds that the FDA report was misinterpreted
and that the violations were technical, not medical.

"HBO Documentary to Honor Tennis Great Arthur Ashe"
PR Newswire (09/12/94)
     An HBO Sports Documentary, "Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the
World," will be premiered tonight at an event co-hosted by Ambassador
Andrew Young, The Task Force for Child Survival and Development,
and HBO.  Ashe was known as a civil rights crusader, an advocate
of people with AIDS, and an opponent of South African apartheid,
in addition to his standing as a tennis star.  The one-hour film
tribute will feature rare archival footage and interviews with
Ashe and his acquaintances.  The screening will take place at the
Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, and be attended by
Atlanta's leaders in civil rights, AIDS education and prevention,
and sports.

"Denial Among HIV-Affected Children"
Focus (08/94) Vol. 8, No. 9, P. 8
     Three case studies from a home for inner-city children show
that denial is one way that youths who have an HIV-infected parent
temporarily ignore any related pain and embarrassment.  The group
foster home housed African-American and Hispanic children between
the ages of 12 and 18.  In 1990, three children out of 220 living
at the home had parents who had died of AIDS.  These three teens
learned, before placement, to protect themselves by withholding
information and avoiding difficult issues.  They categorically
denied any HIV-related problems, yet continued study indicated
deep anxiety.  Counselors at the home respected the youths'
denial in order to provide a supportive atmosphere.  Because
confrontation of their denial proved counterproductive, the
counselors monitored their behavior and tried to avoid further
pathological developments.

"Shifting AIDS Research Back to Basics"
American Medical News (09/05/94) Vol. 37, No. 33, P. 1;  Pinkney,
Deborah Shelton
     Two distinct views emerged at the 10th International
Conference on AIDS.  One view complained that HIV research has come to a
halt, as shown by the lack of recent new information.  The other
view pointed to progress being made in understanding HIV and its
effects on the immune system--which is necessary in developing
viable new treatments.  Research was presented on genetic
therapies, perinatal transmission, and long-term survivors--all
of which lead to possible treatments in the future.  Clinicians
noted that sometimes they have to step back in order to move
forward, such as using the new ability to measure the circulating
virus in the plasma or making sure the HIV puzzle fits together
correctly.  With the ability to measure the virus and other new
interventions, doctors hope to intervene with patients and track
their response to antiretroviral therapy.  Researchers are also
confident that combination drug therapies will prove useful in
blocking the enzyme that spreads HIV from cell to cell and in
overcoming the problem of drug resistance.

"Get Real--When It Comes to Sex, It's Time for the Government to Grow Up, A Prestigious Medical Group Says"
Advocate (09/06/94) No. 663, P. 26;  Bull, Chris
     An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee delivered a report
titled "AIDS and Behavior: An Integrated Approach" to the White
House and Congress on July 27.  The committee said that dramatic
steps must be taken to curtail the transmission of HIV because
development of a possible cure or vaccine is still years away.
The report recommended that the federal government commission a
national survey on sexual behavior, as well as lift barriers
preventing the successful implementation of needle-exchange
programs for drug-users.  The report researched the effectiveness
of AIDS research programs at the federal government's three
primary behavioral research units--the National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Use,
and the National Institute of Mental Health.  The report found
that these federal agencies often duplicated various projects and
assigned "little research to the social factors and contexts in
which individuals contract, transmit, and experience the
disease."



"Correction from AIDS Daily Summary, 09/09/94: Blacks Far More Likely Than Whites to Have AIDS, Agency Says"
New York Times (09/09/94) P. A16
     The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced
Thursday that black women are almost 15 times more likely than
white women to develop AIDS, and that black men are five times
more likely than white men to have the disease.  The agency said
that 55 percent of the 106,949 reported cases of AIDS in the
United States last year were among racial and ethnic minorities.
Among 100,000 black women, 73 developed AIDS, while only 5 white
women out of 100,000 had the disease.  Among minority women, 47%
of AIDS cases were blamed on intravenous drug use and 37 percent
were caused by HIV transmission during heterosexual intercourse.
The research shows that complex social, economic and cultural
factors complicate AIDS prevention efforts.


