                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      March 4, 1996

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 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"FDA to Quickly Clear Merck AIDS Drug, After Approving Abbott's 
Treatment"
"FDA Approves AIDS Drug Ritonavir in 72 Days"
"Hope, Concern Greet AIDS Drug"
"Epidemiology: Insight Into Spread of AIDS"
"Tokyo Minister Bares Mistakes in AIDS Policy"
"Nationline: Support Threatened"
"Drug Holds Off HIV Damage"
"Pomegranates Could Help in Battle Against AIDS"
"Bovine (Beta)-Lactoglobulin Modified by 3-Hydroxyphthalic 
Anhydride Blocks the CD4 Cell Receptor for HIV"
"Helping PWAs Find Jobs"
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"FDA to Quickly Clear Merck AIDS Drug, After Approving Abbott's 
Treatment"
Wall Street Journal (03/04/96) P. B3;  McGinley, Laurie
     Ending one of the most remarkable weeks in the history of the 
AIDS epidemic, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory
panel recommended approval on Friday of Merck & Co.'s Crixivan 
(indinavir).  FDA Commissioner David Kessler stated that the 
agency would approve the protease inhibitor by the time the 
pharmaceutical concern was ready to ship it, noting that "we 
don't want to hold up their launch."  Merck Research Laboratories
President Edward Skolnick said that his company would be prepared
to start distributing the drug in mid-March or early April of 
this year.  Crixivan was recommended for approval following the 
presentation of studies which found that 40 percent of the 
patients who took the drug alone and 90 percent of the patients 
who took the drug in combination with AZT and 3TC had their HIV 
fall below detectable levels.  Related Story: Investor's Business
Daily (03/04) P. A19
      
"FDA Approves AIDS Drug Ritonavir in 72 Days"
Washington Post (03/02/96) P. A8;  Schwartz, John
     The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Friday 
Abbott Laboratories' protease inhibitor Norvir, known generically
as ritonavir, just 72 days after Abbott submitted its 
application.  The agency awarded full approval for use of the 
drug in late-stage AIDS patients and limited approval for its use
in others.  Abbott spokesman Doug Petkus said that Norvir will be
available in two weeks.  The rapid approval--the fastest AIDS 
drug approval ever--was supported by Patrick Korten, a spokesman 
for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, who 
said that the approval was "good news" for AIDS patients, but 
noted that drugs for other diseases are not receiving such rapid 
authorization.  Related Story: Chicago Tribune (03/02) P. 2-1
      
"Hope, Concern Greet AIDS Drug"
USA Today (03/04/96) P. 1D;  Painter, Kim
     The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) approval of 
Abbott Laboratories ritonavir and the recommendation for approval
of Merck & Co.'s indinavir has given HIV-infected individuals 
some of the best news in a long time.  Timothy Rodrigues, of the 
San Francisco AIDS Foundation, says, "There's a great deal of 
hope that we haven't seen in the epidemic for a very long time." 
There is, however, also concern about the length of efficacy of 
the new drugs and about how many people will be able to buy them.
Activists worry that the new drugs will cost at least $5,800 a 
year, the price of Hoffmann-La Roche's already approved 
saquinavir, and note that if the drugs must be combined, the 
total could easily reach $15,000 to $20,000.  Furthermore, Troy 
Petenbrink of the National Association of People With AIDS 
contends that if insurers and government programs that buy drugs 
for the uninsured do not pay for these treatments, the majority 
of the patients will not receive them.
      
"Epidemiology: Insight Into Spread of AIDS"
Washington Post (03/04/96) P. A2
     Harvard University researcher Max Essex reported in Friday's 
issue of Science that HIV-1 subtype e from heterosexual patients 
in Thailand grew much faster and reached significantly higher 
levels in Langerhans' cells than HIV-1 subtype b, the most common
subtype in the United States.  Although HIV's preferred target is
a specific class of immune-system cell, Essex wanted to determine
whether the two viral subtypes were equally able to penetrate the
Langerhans' cells, which line the vagina.  HIVe--which is most 
common in Asia and Africa--has been identified in only a few 
Americans.  According to Essex, however, if that subtype spreads 
in the United States, heterosexual women could be at an even 
greater risk.  Related Story: Boston Globe (03/02) P. 7
      
"Tokyo Minister Bares Mistakes in AIDS Policy"
Wall Street Journal (03/04/96) P. B1;  Hamilton, David P.
     Naoto Kan, Japan's health and welfare minister, revealed his own 
ministry's involvement in the spread of HIV just weeks after 
taking office.  In early February, Kan criticized Health Ministry
officials for permitting the spread of HIV through untreated 
blood plasma and blood products in the 1980s and released related
incriminating documents whose existence had been denied for 
years.  Soon after, Kan apologized to the nearly 2,000 Japanese 
hemophiliacs who became HIV-infected from the tainted blood 
products, noting that "until now, the government's responsibility
has never been clear."  Moreover, Kan says he will not end his 
crusade with the blood products case--he has already repealed 
Japan's leprosy quarantine policy and says he will call for 
policy changes that would enable physicians to use AIDS 
treatments approved for use overseas without going through the 
ministry's time-consuming approval system.
      
"Nationline: Support Threatened"
USA Today (03/04/96) P. 3A;  Kriss, Claudine
     The Catholic Church may discontinue its support of social 
agencies and hospitals if it loses a wrongful-death suit filed by
a couple who attribute their child's death to clergy at a 
church-supported group home in Ohio, according to Bishop James 
Griffin.  The couple claims that their son, who died of 
AIDS-related complications in January at age 44, contracted HIV 
from members of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd during 
sexual attacks.  The church has rejected any allegations that 
either it was responsible or that the clergy members were the 
cause.
      
"Drug Holds Off HIV Damage"
Toronto Globe and Mail (03/01/96) P. A8;  Immen, Wallace
     Researchers at McGill University in Montreal claim that early 
treatment of HIV infection with the drug 3TC can delay the 
destruction of the body's immune system.  According to Dr. Mark 
Wainberg and others, 3TC "freezes" HIV's ability to mutate, 
thereby enabling the immune system to catch up.  Wainberg, the 
director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, whose laboratory 
developed 3TC, therefore proposes in the journal Science to "use 
3TC to stabilize the immune function and then hit the virus with 
other drugs."
      
"Pomegranates Could Help in Battle Against AIDS"
Reuters (03/01/96)
     A virucide derived from pomegranates may be an effective means of
protecting against HIV, according to British scientists.  
Professor Gordon Stewart, Nottingham University's head of applied
biochemistry and food science, says the substance, which was 
discovered during tests to detect food poisoning bacteria, is 
very active over short exposure times and notes that "if there is
viral contact [the pomegranate substance] would act as an 
anti-viral agent."  Professor Steven Myint, a virologist from 
Leicester University, says that the virucide will require at 
least two years of development before it can be made commercial. 
The British government has awarded a $68,000 grant to Rio 
Pharmaceuticals to perform a 12-month assessment of the 
substance.
      
"Bovine (Beta)-Lactoglobulin Modified by 3-Hydroxyphthalic 
Anhydride Blocks the CD4 Cell Receptor for HIV"
Nature Medicine (02/96) Vol.2, No.2, P. 230;  Neurath, Robert A.;
Jiang, Shibo;  Strick, Nathan; et al.
     Because HIV targets T lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, and 
dendritic cells, compounds that block HIV-CD4 binding are 
therefore expected to inhibit viral transmission.  Robert Neurath
and colleagues at the Laboratory of Biochemical Virology at the 
New York Blood Center found that bovine (Beta)-lactoglobulin 
(B-LG), an abundant milk protein and the major component of whey,
modified by 3-hydroxphthalic anhydride (3HP-B-LG), blocked HIV 
and SIV from binding with CD4, the virus' common receptor.  The 
compound blocked the virus by binding to the CD4 surface 
glycoproteins and monoclonal antibodies specific for HIV.  The 
researchers also found that the compound inhibited HIV-1, HIV-2, 
and SIV infection.  Unlike anti-HIV drugs which the virus becomes
resistant to, agents targeted to the CD4 receptor for HIV can 
inhibit a wide range of HIV-1 isolates and are less likely to 
stimulate drug-resistant strains of the virus.  In addition, 
because the compound is inexpensive and widely available, the 
researchers suggest that it would be a good candidate for 
reducing the frequency of HIV transmission.  They say that 
3HP-B-LG could be preapplied topically to prevent sexual 
transmission of the virus by generating a barrier against 
infection.  After the compound is removed, they theorize, CD4 
receptors would remain blocked.
      
"Helping PWAs Find Jobs"
Washington Blade (02/16/96) Vol.27, No.7, P. 8;  Johnson, Wendy
     Finding a job can be especially stressful for people with HIV, 
but in Washington, D.C., a 12-week program called Career Choice 
can help.  The program introduces people with HIV and AIDS to 
sources of legal, social, and financial assistance available to 
them.  It is the first such support program in the country and is
funded through a $50,000 federal Choice Grant.  The participants 
share experiences in open discussions and hear from guest 
speakers, who talk about living with HIV and AIDS and the legal 
rights of "disabled" people.  Working at home is a practical 
choice for people with HIV and AIDS, but usually requires a 
computer.  Career Choice helps people acquire the necessary 
materials, and focuses on the rights and protections afforded by 
the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Harry Hall, the director of
Development Team Inc. who designed this first-of-its-kind 
program, has designed similar programs for people with physical, 
learning, or chronic disabilities.  One 40-year-old Career Choice
participant said the program gave him knowledge, insight, and 
confidence.
      
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