                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      August 16, 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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"AIDS-Related Drug Test Is Halted and Stock Dives" "Mayor 
Drops Plan to Allow Use of Marijuana as Medicine" "Judge 
OKs Pact to Pay Hemophiliac AIDS Victims" "Vaccination Gap 
Puts Thousands at Risk, CDC Says"
"One Third of Inner-City Women at Risk for HIV; Syphilis Linked 
to Acquiring HIV"
"Canada Approves Use of New Anti-HIV Drug"
"Saratov Leads Other Russian Regions in AIDS Carriers" 
"Kenya to Start Pilot Project on Male Involvement"
"Delta: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial Comparing 
Combinations of Zidovudine Plus Didanosine or Zalcitabine With 
Zidovudine Alone in HIV-Infected Individuals"
"Reports Bolster Viral Cause of KS"
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"AIDS-Related Drug Test Is Halted and Stock Dives" 
Wall Street Journal (08/16/96) P. B4
     The National Eye Institute's announcement Wednesday that a
drug made by Protein Design Labs was dropped from its trial for 
lack of results caused the company's stock to fall 33 percent on 
Thursday.  Protein Design's stock fell $7.625 to $15.50.  
Protovir was being tested to treat a potentially blinding eye 
condition common in AIDS patients.
     
"Mayor Drops Plan to Allow Use of Marijuana as Medicine" 
Washington Times (08/16/96) P. A4; Walsh, Diana
     San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has decided against
declaring a citywide state of emergency to allow marijuana use 
for medicinal purposes, saying the move could jeopardize the 
city's needle exchange program.  Brown had supported the 
emergency plan last week but said he changed his mind after 
talking to members of the police commission and health department 
officials.  Following the closing of the city's Cannabis Buyers' 
Club last week by state narcotic agents, city officials are 
trying to reach an agreement with the state Attorney General's 
Office to allow another organization to distribute the drug to 
people with AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses.  The city's needle 
exchange program has been operating illegally for the past three 
years, under the protection that it was needed as a health 
emergency.  Brown expressed concerns that it would be attacked if 
marijuana use was allowed under the same conditions.
     
"Judge OKs Pact to Pay Hemophiliac AIDS Victims" 
Chicago Tribune (08/15/96) P. 1-2; Hutchcraft, Chuck
     A federal District Court Judge in Chicago gave tentative
approval to a settlement between hemophiliacs who were infected 
with HIV and the pharmaceutical companies that supplied the 
tainted blood products.  If, however, the plaintiffs are forced to 
reimburse Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers for costs 
already paid for treatment, the deal would be rejected, said a 
representative for the hemophiliacs.  Under the proposal, 
hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from tainted blood products 
distributed by Baxter Healthcare, Alpha Therapeutic, Armour 
Pharmaceutical, or Bayer between 1978 and 1985 would receive 
$100,000 each.  Family members, spouses, and other people who 
contracted the virus through contact with the infected 
hemophiliacs would also be eligible.
     
"Vaccination Gap Puts Thousands at Risk, CDC Says" 
Washington Post (08/16/96) P. A6
     A vaccination gap among 10- to 12-year olds has left
thousands of American adolescents susceptible to chickenpox, 
measles, and hepatitis B, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention reported Thursday.  Each year, more than 30,000 
teenagers contract hepatitis B, a liver disease that is 
preventable with a vaccine.  While parents are generally 
conscientious about making sure their children receive the proper 
immunizations as infants, adolescents often go unprotected, said 
Steven R. Mostow of the University of Colorado.
     
"One Third of Inner-City Women at Risk for HIV; Syphilis Linked 
to Acquiring HIV"
Reuters (08/15/96) 
     Two new studies published in the American Journal of Public 
Health suggest that more HIV prevention programs are needed for 
women living in inner cities.  According to one study, about 
one-third of women in this population are at high risk for HIV 
because of the risk behavior of their sexual partners.  Kathleen 
J. Sikkema, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and colleagues, 
also reported that the majority of women had good overall 
knowledge of HIV risk but poor knowledge related to proper condom 
and lubricant use.  A related study found that diagnosis of 
syphilis among women who use drugs reflects high-risk sexual 
activity and is associated with HIV infection.
     
"Canada Approves Use of New Anti-HIV Drug" 
Xinhua News Agency (08/15/96) 
     Norvir, an anti-HIV drug made by Abbott Laboratories, has
been approved by the Canadian government.  The protease 
inhibitor, also known as ritonavir, was cleared for use in 
combination with other anti-HIV drugs, but not on its own. 
According to Abbott Laboratories, tests have shown that Norvir 
can reduce the risk of disease progression or death by nearly 
half in patients with advanced HIV infection.
     
"Saratov Leads Other Russian Regions in AIDS Carriers" 
Itar Wire Service (08/15/96) 
     Russia's Saratov region on the Volga River has more
HIV-infected individuals than any other area in the country, 
health officials reported Thursday.  Of the 173 people who have 
tested positive for HIV in Russia so far this year, 42 were 
registered in the Saratov region.  Health officials have traced 
the outbreak to a group of drug addicts, who apparently used a 
contaminated needle.  In the Ukraine, the number of AIDS patients 
has increased by 3,000 in the last few months to an estimated 
8,000.
     
"Kenya to Start Pilot Project on Male Involvement" 
Xinhua News Agency (08/15/96) 
     A five-year pilot project in Kenya will aim to increase male
involvement in family planning and subsequently improve the use 
of contraceptives with hopes of reducing fertility and 
controlling the spread of HIV.  The Family Planning Association 
of Kenya will spend $8 million on the project, which will 
initially cover three regions with low rates of contraceptive 
use.
     
"Delta: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial Comparing 
Combinations of Zidovudine Plus Didanosine or Zalcitabine With 
Zidovudine Alone in HIV-Infected Individuals"
Lancet (08/03/96) Vol. 348, No. 9023, P. 283; Aber, V.; Aboulker, 
J.P.; Babiker, A.G.; et al.
     Zidovudine (AZT) is known to benefit HIV-infected patients
but is only able to delay disease progression for a short time. 
A trial was designed to determine if combinations of AZT with 
either didanosine (ddI) or zalcitabine (ddC) were more effective 
than AZT alone.  The study, known as the Delta trial, included 
participants in Australia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the 
United Kingdom, and Switzerland.  A total of 3,207 individuals 
were randomized into the three treatment groups and followed for 
30 months.  The benefits appeared to be greater in patients who 
had not taken AZT previously.  Among them, those who took either 
combination therapy had substantially improved survival compared 
to participants who took AZT alone.  In patients who had taken 
AZT before, adding ddI improved survival, but the addition of ddC 
had no added benefit.
     
"Reports Bolster Viral Cause of KS"
Science (08/02/96) Vol. 273, No. 5275, P. 573; Cohen, Jon
     Although new research lends further credence to the theory
that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes 
Kaposi's sarcoma, some AIDS researchers are still skeptical.  Two 
new studies found that antibodies to KSHV proteins are common 
only among those who have KS and those who later develop the 
disease.  The findings do not explain why KS in AIDS patients 
seldom appears in patients other than in gay men, while other 
human herpesviruses appear throughout the population.  Dr. Robert 
Gallo, director of the University of Maryland's Institute of 
Human Virology, believes that HIV leads to KS, however.  He says 
the new data do not prove a causal link between KSHV and KS, and 
points to studies that suggest the virus may be widespread in 
populations that do not develop the disease.
     
     


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