                  
                        
                        
                        
                        
                         
                          AIDS Daily Summary 
                       Wednesday, July 17, 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 National AIDS Clearinghouse, or any
other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged;
however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
     
     
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"Arbitrator's Ruling Could Cost J&J a Promising Unit" 
"Across the USA: Kansas"
"Reform Isn't Risk-Free"
"Woman With HIV Charged in Sex Assault on Boy, 11" 
"Group Provides Support, Structure for HIV Workers" 
"P&U Says Working on More AIDS Drugs"
"Good Prenatal Care Linked to Positive Birth Outcomes in 
HIV-Infected Women"
"Executives Participating in Ride to Benefit AIDS" 
"Olympic Potential"
"Health Care/Market Facts: AIDS Cases" 
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"Arbitrator's Ruling Could Cost J&J a Promising Unit"
Wall Street Journal (07/17/96) P. B4; Kuntz, Phil; McGinley, 
Laurie
     As the result of an arbitrator's decision in an employment 
dispute, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) could lose control of Direct 
Access Diagnostics, the potentially profitable division that 
markets a home HIV test.  Arbitrator John Gibbons said the 
company made illegal political donations to members of Congress 
and large contributions to a think tank affiliated with House 
Speaker Newt Gingrich in an effort to sway Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) officials.  The decision was part of a
proceeding in which Gibbons ruled that J&J wrongly fired the test's
developer, Elliott Millenson, for reasons related to publicity 
over the contributions.  Millenson developed the test in 1985 
and then sold his company to J&J when he could not get the test
approved.  Millenson's lawyer said that his client's employment
contract calls for J&J to return his business to him, and pay him
back salary and a $1.5 million bonus because the FDA approved the
test kit.
     
"Across the USA: Kansas"
USA Today (07/17/96) P. 10A
     Due to limited funding, the Kansas AIDS Drug Assistance
Program is no longer taking applications.  Prospective applicants 
will be put on a waiting list.
     
"Reform Isn't Risk-Free"
Washington Post (07/17/96) P. A18
     Legislation being considered in Congress to reform the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) should not be rushed, a Washington 
Post editorial asserts, urging advocates of reform to consider the 
potential risks to privatizing drug reviews.  The editors note 
that the measures would make it easier for drug makers to 
advertise drugs as safe and effective for uses that have not been 
approved by the FDA.  They also point out that pressure from AIDS 
activists has affected changes that have cut drug approval time in 
half since 1987, and that drugs given special priority have been 
approved in less than than 6 months.  In light of the extremely
high stakes involved, the authors question whether Americans are
ready to accept having the drug approval process shifted primarily
to private hands, and conclude that any such change should be made
only with caution and deliberation.
     
"Woman With HIV Charged in Sex Assault on Boy, 11" 
Boston Globe (07/16/96) P. A6
     A Florida woman with HIV was charged with second-degree murder
and jailed after she had sex with an 11-year-old boy who played 
baseball with her son.  The original charge against the woman, 
Stacey Renee Jacobs, 32, was for sexual battery on a child under 
age 12. After tests showed that Jacobs was HIV-positive, she was 
also charged with attempted murder.  The child is being tested for 
the virus.
     
"Group Provides Support, Structure for HIV Workers" 
Boston Globe (07/16/96) P. D12; Brudney, Juliet F.
     Changing Directions, a support group for people who leave work
because of AIDS, provides a forum for dealing with the emotional 
and practical aspects of a problem most AIDS patients eventually 
face.  The group, associated with the AIDS Action Committee of 
Massachusetts, was founded by Matthew Feldman to help members 
learn about sources of financial support.  Members learn from 
each other's experiences and help each other cope with similar 
problems.
     
"P&U Says Working on More AIDS Drugs" 
Reuters (07/17/96) 
     Pharmacia & Upjohn announced Wednesday that it is developing 
other new AIDS drugs in addition to Rescriptor, a drug for which 
it is currently seeking Food and Drug Administration approval.  
Rescriptor has been tested in more than 2,600 AIDS patients, and 
company spokesman Soren Densjo said it appears to stop the 
disease from progressing.
     
"Good Prenatal Care Linked to Positive Birth Outcomes in 
HIV-Infected Women"
Reuters (07/16/96) 
     With adequate prenatal care, adverse birth outcomes can be 
cut in half for children born to women infected with HIV, 
researchers at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia 
report.  Barbara J. Turner and colleagues reviewed New York State 
Medicaid records of more than 2,200 HIV-infected women who gave 
birth between 1985 and 1990.  The researchers report that the 
odds of low birth weight and preterm birth for women with 
adequate prenatal care were 48 percent and 21 percent lower, 
respectively, than for those individuals who had inadequate 
prenatal care.
     
"Executives Participating in Ride to Benefit AIDS" 
Journal of Commerce (07/17/96) P. 4B
     Two New York transportation executives will participate in the
3-day, 300-mile Boston-to-New York AIDS Ride fundraiser.  Thomas 
Dierson of Polar Steamship Line and Buck Broker of Lufthansa 
German Airlines will be among the 4,000 riders raising money in 
September for people with AIDS in the two cities.
     
"Olympic Potential"
Advocate (07/09/96) No. 711; P. 27; Allan, Christina
     The issue of HIV-positive athletes competing in Olympic events
was highlighted by gold medalist Greg Louganis' revelation last
year that he is HIV-positive.  While HIV awareness has improved,
HIV and gay stigmas persist in the Olympic community.  Moreover,
two Olympic-affiliated associations continue to bar HIV-positive 
athletes from their competitions, and the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service requires HIV-positive Olympic athletes and 
visitors to have special permission to enter the country.  The 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, says 
there is no public health basis for routinely testing athletes for 
HIV or excluding them from sports because of their HIV status.  But

two amateur sports organizations, USA Boxing and USA Wrestling, 
prohibit HIV-positive athletes from competing, and both belong to 
the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and receive funding 
from it.  Although neither group requires athletes to take an HIV 
test, USA Boxing recommends yearly tests for its members.  The 
USOC does not have any regulations regarding HIV and does not 
require disclosure or testing.
     
"Health Care/Market Facts: AIDS Cases" 
Crain's Cleveland Business
Vol. 17, No. 27 (07/01/96) P. M-8
     In Ohio, there have been a total of 2,599 AIDS cases
documented since 1981, with 1,575 deaths attributed to the 
disease. The state recorded 350 AIDS cases in 1994, 273 of which 
were in Cuyahoga County.  The number of newly diagnosed cases 
decreased to 245 in 1995, with 199 in Cuyahoga County.  As of 
March 1996, there were 29 AIDS cases reported in the state, with 
the majority once again located in Cuyahoga.
     
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