Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 10:43:29 PST (218 lines of text) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary February 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 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 ************************************************************ "AIDS Deaths Continue to Rise in 25-44 Age Group, U.S. Says" "Sequus Drug Is Approved" "N.J. Gives Hemophiliacs Hope on AIDS Lawsuits" "Ryan White's Legacy" "Answers on Blood Seem Elusive" "Empiric Therapy for AIDS-Related Pneumonia Appropriate in Selected Cases" "Risk of Kaposi Sarcoma in Unmarried Men Similar in Pre-AIDS Era and AIDS Era" "Gene Therapy Blocked by Strong Immune Response" "Tokyo Professor Accused on Perjury Over Evidence of HIV Infection" "Mortality Due to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25-44 Years- United States, 1993 and 1994" ************************************************************ "AIDS Deaths Continue to Rise in 25-44 Age Group, U.S. Says" New York Times (02/16/96) P. A22; Hilts, Philip J. The number of lives lost to AIDS among 25-44 year-old American men and women of every race continued to increase in 1994. The disease has become the third leading cause of death for women in that age group and the leading cause of death for white men in that group. In 1994, there was a 30 percent rise in AIDS-related deaths among white women, a 28 percent increase among black women, and a 13 percent increase among black men. The new figures are based on a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. AIDS cases among minorities and women are often linked to drug use and sex with infected drug users. The two are related because drug use impairs a person's judgment about having sex and some people trade sex for drugs and share needles used to inject drugs. The number of deaths from AIDS in the United States increased 9 percent in 1994 from the previous year, and has increased every year since the epidemic began 15 years ago. The number of new AIDS cases in 1994 was 63,000 and the number of new infections is estimated at 40,000 to 80,000. AIDS-related deaths in 1994 totaled 41,930. Related Stories: Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. A3; Baltimore Sun (02/16/96) P. 2A Washington Post (02/16/96) P. A1; Romano, Lois At a press conference in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday, heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison told his young fans to "no longer consider [him] a role model," after a second test confirmed that he is infected with HIV. Morrison said he "had the opportunity to be a role model, but blew it. Blew it with irresponsible, irrational, immature decisions." He stated that he will not fight again and urged required HIV tests for professional boxers. Furthermore, Morrison said that he has tried to contact people whom he might have infected, including both sparring and sexual partners. He said he does not know how he became HIV-infected but noted that part of his life was marked by "a very permissive, fast, reckless lifestyle." Related Stories: New York Times (02/16/96) P. B7; Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. D1 "Sequus Drug Is Approved" Wall Street Journal (02/16/96) P. B2 Sequus Pharmaceuticals has announced the receipt of regulatory approval to sell Doxil, a drug for the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma, in 15 European countries. The approval, handed down by the European Committee on Proprietary and Medicinal Products, covers all members of the European Union, Sequus said. Doxil has been granted marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for patients who cannot benefit from established therapy, but the European body has approved it as a first-line therapy as well. "N.J. Gives Hemophiliacs Hope on AIDS Lawsuits" Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. B7; Conway, Chris Hemophiliacs are again pushing for a New Jersey law that would give them more time to sue drug makers whose products infected them with HIV. State Sen. William Gormly has been working on a compromise with the governor to address the proposed bill's constitutionality. Gov. Whitman vetoed a similar proposal last year. The new plan would extend for an additional two years the state's two-year statute of limitations for HIV-infected hemophiliacs who want to sue. An Institute of Medicine report released last year found that manufacturers of plasma products were not doing adequate research into heat-treating their products to kill viruses because there was no competitive pressure. "Ryan White's Legacy" Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. A24 A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial emphasizes the need for continued government funding for AIDS drugs for needy patients. The editors note that Congress has provided only limited funding for the Ryan White Act, which subsidizes Medicaid funds to provide drugs for AIDS patients. A recent survey showed that almost half of the states are facing a financial shortage in their programs that pay for AIDS drugs. The program in Pennsylvania enjoyed a surplus of money the last several years, but has now been reduced by the Ridge administration. The editors emphasize that funding the treatment of AIDS patients is not just a matter of compassion, but is also an investment. Effective medication, they note, enables people with AIDS to continue to work and to function. "Answers on Blood Seem Elusive" Toronto Globe and Mail (02/14/96) P. A7; Picard, Andre Two years into the Canadian government inquiry of the tainted blood tragedy that left 1,200 Canadians infected with HIV, answers seem unlikely. The inquiry, being headed by Justice Horace Krever, is hampered by legal challenges, and many of those infected are concerned that Krever's report may never be published. The Canadian Red Cross and other parties are trying to remove any allegations of wrongdoing from the inquiry's findings. One element of hope is that the public is now more aware of the threats of tainted blood and as a result, is demanding a say as consumers. People who were infected, or lost loved ones as a result of the tainted blood, say their hope at the beginning of the inquiry has now turned to despair and disappointment. "Empiric Therapy for AIDS-Related Pneumonia Appropriate in Selected Cases" Reuters (02/15/96) Researchers at the National Institutes of Health report that "if convenient, cost-effective diagnostic facilities are not readily available," empiric therapy for AIDS-related pneumonia is appropriate for some patients with HIV. Empiric oral therapy against the common, treatable community-acquired pathogens is the usual treatment in individuals with healthy immune systems. However, Drs. Henry Masur and James Shelhamer note that in patients whose immune systems are compromised, "the range of potential pathogens is so broad" that doctors are reluctant to try empiric therapy. The researchers suggest, though, that an empiric approach is possible, and they recommend broad coverage of treatment. "Risk of Kaposi Sarcoma in Unmarried Men Similar in Pre-AIDS Era and AIDS Era" Reuters (02/15/96) Researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the Danish Epidemiologic Science Center say the risks of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in unmarried men have not increased significantly with the AIDS epidemic. Robert Biggar and Mads Melbye compared the risk of never being married with ever being married. They found no increased risk for KS, except between 1973 and 1976. The risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was slightly lower in single men before 1976, but the risk of anal cancer was more than five times higher for men aged 20-59 before the AIDS epidemic. The researchers suspect that the increased risk of anal cancer before AIDS was related to the risk of anal human papillomavirus infection in homosexual men. "Gene Therapy Blocked by Strong Immune Response" Lancet (02/03/96) Vol.347, No.8997, P. 314; McCarthy, Michael A clinical trial in Seattle was conducted to determine whether genetically modified CD8 HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) could improve an HIV-infected patient's immune response. In prior studies with retrovirus vectors, gene-modified cells persisted over time without inducing an immune response. In the Seattle study, six HIV-positive patients were given the modified CD8 CTLs in four increasing doses. In five of the six patients, "there was effective transfer and persistence of modified CTLs after the first two infusions, but clearance after the last two doses," according to the researchers. The patients were found to have developed cytolytic reactivity to the modified cells. The results indicate the necessity of strategies that make the gene-modified cells less vulnerable to the host immune system. "Tokyo Professor Accused on Perjury Over Evidence of HIV Infection" Nature (02/01/96) Vol.379, No.6564, P. 388 A coalition in Tokyo has filed perjury claims against a Tokyo University scientist who served in the Ministry of Health and Welfare in the early 1980s and was responsible for policies on blood products. The 72-member group, which includes HIV-positive hemophiliacs, charges that public health professor Atsuaki Gunji lied when he gave evidence in a case the group brought against the government and pharmaceutical companies. Gunji had testified that he was unaware that HIV infection routes are like those of hepatitis B. The group says they have a document that was submitted to the Ministry's AIDS study group which indicates that the routes of infection were similar. Gunji, however, claims that he never meant to lie, and denies that he did. The group has also sued the head of the AIDS study group, for "willful negligence" resulting in death. "Mortality Due to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25-44 Years- United States, 1993 and 1994" Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (02/16/96) Vol. 45, No. 6; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Death rates from HIV infection, the cause of AIDS, continued to increase in 1994, with over 70% of deaths occurring among Americans aged 25-44, according to provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics. HIV remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 25-44, and the rate of HIV- related deaths is increasing most rapidly among women and blacks. The death rate from HIV infection is now 4 times higher in black men 25-44 than in white men in the same age group, and the death rate among black women in this age group is 9 times higher than among white women. These findings demonstrate the ongoing impact of the AIDS epidemic on the premature loss of life. The full text document is available electronically through CDC NAC ONLINE, (800) 458-5231 and requesting publication number D213. One copy free per caller. The CDC AIDS Daily Summary will not be published Monday, February 19, 1996, in observance of President's Day. Publication will resume Tuesday, February 20.