                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      August 27, 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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"Serono Wins Approval for AIDS Drug"
"HIV Often Overlooked in Spite of Screening" 
"Venture-Backed Firms Defy Market With IPOs" 
"Law Will Free the Sick From Insurance Trap" 
"U.N. Targets Child Pornography"
"Medical Records: Privacy Ensured"
"Female Condom Back in Spotlight"
"UPI Science News: Slowing AIDS in Haiti" 
"Neurological Complications of HIV Infection" 
"Taking a Hit"
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"Serono Wins Approval for AIDS Drug"
Wall Street Journal (08/27/96) P. B4; Johannes, Laura
     The Food and Drug Administration gave accelerated approval
to Serostim, a drug made by Serono to treat AIDS-related wasting, 
following the company's meeting with AIDS activists. Members of 
ACT-UP Golden Gate, a San Francisco group, urged the approval 
after Serono agreed to sell the drug at half the current market 
price of other growth hormone drugs.  A spokeswoman for Serono 
said the approval "would have been difficult" without the support 
of the activist group.  Under the company's original plan, the 
drug would have cost about $75,000 a year, but now the drug price 
has been capped at $36,000 a year per person.
     
"HIV Often Overlooked in Spite of Screening"
Washington Post--Health (08/27/96) P. 5; Murphy, Caryle
     Individuals infected with HIV may not be identified, even
when they are regularly screened for the virus, researchers at 
the University of Washington report.  Timothy Schacker and 
colleagues also found that unprotected oral-genital contact can 
transmit HIV and that it takes about two weeks for symptoms of 
HIV infection to appear.  In the Aug. 15 issue of the Annals of 
Internal Medicine, the researchers say that "primary HIV 
infection causes a recognizable clinical syndrome that is often 
underdiagnosed" or "misdiagnosed."  The study group included 46 
patients who had either recently tested positive for HIV antigens 
or antibodies to HIV.  Only 25 percent of the group had been 
correctly diagnosed at the outset of symptoms.
     
"Venture-Backed Firms Defy Market With IPOs"
Wall Street Journal (08/27/96) P. B2; Selz, Michael
     In the face of widespread investor nervousness, 18 new 
venture-backed companies went public last month, raising a total 
of $638 million, according to the Venture Capital Journal.  Some 
companies, such as Caltype Biomedical--which is developing a 
urine test for the HIV--said that although they had to lower
their initial public offering (IPO) price, they were forced to 
tap the market to raise much-needed capital.  First Enterprise 
Financial Group reports that it also had to lower its IPO price, 
but that the shares were met with an overall positive welcome.  
The issue "was stressful,"  says Michael Harrington, founder and 
chairman of First Enterprise.  "But I'm delighted with the 
reception we got in spite of running against a very adverse stock 
market."
     
"Law Will Free the Sick From Insurance Trap" 
Washington Times (08/27/96) P. B9; Gallagher, Jim
     Under the new health insurance reform bill taking effect
next July, workers who get sick will be able to switch jobs 
without losing coverage for an existing illness.  If a worker is 
fired, however, he can still be denied coverage.  When a worker 
is laid off, he is allowed to keep his health insurance group 
rates for 18 months, and a worker's dependents can keep the group 
policy for three years if they lose coverage because the employee 
died, divorced, or enrolled in Medicare.  A person with an 
existing illness is guaranteed coverage, but there is no control
on price.
     
"U.N. Targets Child Pornography"
Washington Times (08/27/96) P. A15; Pisik, Betsy
     The U.N. Children's Fund reports today that more than 1
million children around the world are forced into prostitution or 
pornography each year.  A four-day conference with 
representatives from more than 120 countries is opening today in 
Stockholm to examine the problem.  The exploitation of young 
girls is worst in cultures where females have lower social status 
and less education than males.  Daughters, and sometimes sons, 
are sold into slavery to help poor families survive.  In 
sub-Saharan Africa, women are frequently subjected to rape and 
incest, and the spread of HIV is expected to increase the number 
of orphans on the continent.
     
"Medical Records: Privacy Ensured"
Washington Post (08/27/96) P. A10; Clarke, Richard L.
     Personal medical information will be protected and health
care information will be more standardized under the health
insurance reform bill, claims Richard L. Clarke, president and 
CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, in a 
letter to the editor of the Washington Post.  Clarke takes issue 
with a Post article that suggested the bill did not offer 
adequate protection for patients' private records.  He points out 
that a section of the bill applies federal penalties for the 
"wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health 
information" and implements new national security standards to 
ensure medical privacy.  Clarke also notes that the current 
system for exchanging health care information will be 
standardized to simplify the process.
     
"Female Condom Back in Spotlight"
Knight-Ridder (08/27/96); Hutchcraft, Chuck
     The female condom, manufactured by Female Health, a small
Chicago company, is attracting much attention, in part because of 
studies that found the product filled the need for HIV prevention 
methods that women can control.  The condom is effective against 
sexually transmitted diseases and is gaining acceptance among 
women.  Female Health initially struggled to market the condom,
finding that women were not comfortable using the product.  Now, 
thanks to a new advertising campaign targeting younger customers, 
the company expects to break even by the end of fiscal year 1997.
     
"UPI Science News: Slowing AIDS in Haiti" 
United Press International (08/27/96) 
     A program in Haiti which combined counseling and free
condoms for couples which include one partner who is infected with 
HIV was found to be helpful in slowing the spread of the virus, 
Cornell University researchers say.  Among the couples who were 
sexually active for at least six months during the study, 45 
percent either adopted safer sex practices or eventually became 
abstinent.
     
"Neurological Complications of HIV Infection"
Lancet (08/17/96) Vol. 348, No. 9025, P. 445; Price, Richard W.
     Damage to the nervous system is often associated with HIV 
infection, and various neurological disorders can result.  These 
disorders, which are linked to high morbidity and mortality, 
include the more common opportunistic diseases affecting the
brain, as well as AIDS dementia complex, caused by HIV infection 
itself.  In the British medical journal The Lancet, Dr. Richard 
W. Price, of San Francisco General Hospital, reviews the 
pathogenesis of these diseases and relates them to practical 
diagnosis.  Immunosuppression is the most important determinant 
of neurological complications of HIV infection, he says.  In 
advanced HIV infection, both the major nervous system 
opportunistic infections and AIDS dementia complex develop.  
During earlier stages, disorders are rare, but can include 
uncommon encephalopathies and a type of brain disorder similar to 
multiple sclerosis.  The incidence of AIDS-related neurological 
diseases rises dramatically as immunosuppression progresses.  In 
advanced AIDS patients, neurological disorders are grouped 
according to symptoms, including headaches, focal CNS symptoms or 
signs, "non-focal" cerebral and/or motor dysfunction, and 
myelopathy.  Prevention and treatment strategies include 
antiviral measures and secondary or adjuvant strategies to lessen 
the toxic pathways leading to brain dysfunction.
     
"Taking a Hit"
Advocate (08/20/96) Vol. 713, No. 714, P. 91; McFarlane, Rodger
     Many Hollywood celebrities, moved by personal losses from
AIDS, have become leaders in speaking out about the disease and 
in urging compassion for AIDS patients.  Actors with HIV and 
AIDS, however, have criticized the industry for shunning them 
from the business.  In a job market where competition is intense, 
physical appearance and stamina are highly valued, and public 
perceptions about an individual's personal life are critical, 
HIV-positive actors often keep their infected status closely 
guarded.  While insiders say that insurance claims for people 
working in Hollywood indicate that hundreds of actors are 
infected with HIV, most choose to keep their condition 
confidential.  Some say the situation has improved and that 
producers would only consider an actor's HIV status a liability 
if he or she was to play in a long-running series.  One 
HIV-positive television actor said that the real point of actors 
not disclosing their HIV status is to keep the audience in the 
dark.
