Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 11:11:31 PST (139 lines of text) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1997, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary January 21, 1997 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. 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 ****************************************************** "Roche Unit Gets Rights to Market Drug in Europe" "Britain Orders Stop to Transplants from Animals" "Protesters Give Parade Watchers a Stark Eyeful" "At This Club, the Third Floor is High" "Managing Children, AIDS, and Dying" "Get Facts Straight: AIDS Doesn't Discriminate" "Who's News: Merck & Co." "Across the USA: New Jersey" "Evaluation of a System Using Oral Mucosal Transudate for HIV-1 Antibody Screening and Confirmatory Testing" "The French Connection" ****************************************************** "Roche Unit Gets Rights to Market Drug in Europe" Wall Street Journal (01/21/97) P. B4 F. Hoffmann-La Roche, a unit of Roche Holding, has agreed to pay Agouron Pharmaceuticals and its partner Japan Tobacco $40 million plus royalties for the European marketing rights for Agouron's anti-HIV drug Viracept. Agouron filed for U.S. approval of the drug in December. "Britain Orders Stop to Transplants from Animals" Washington Post--Health (01/21/97) P. 11; Garrett, Laurie The British government called for an end to animal-to-human organ transplants last week, becoming the first country to set such a policy. In the United States, meanwhile, guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration to permit xenotransplantation recently received criticism from a group of scientists. A sharp statement--issued by 44 leading virologists, primate researchers and AIDS specialists--said that "based on knowledge of past cross-species transmissions including AIDS, Herpes B virus, Ebola, and other [viruses], the use of [animals] has not been adequately justified." "Protesters Give Parade Watchers a Stark Eyeful" Washington Post (01/21/97) P. B1; Davis, Patricia Among the protesters appearing at Inauguration Day events on Monday in Washington, D.C., were those opposing abortion, those supporting animal rights, and AIDS activists. Four members of the AIDS group ACT-UP were posted outside a church where President Clinton was attending a service, demanding more support for AIDS research. "At This Club, the Third Floor is High" Washington Post (01/21/97) P. A3; Booth, William San Francisco's Cannabis Cultivators Club reopened last week and legally sold marijuana to hundreds of new customers. Under California's Proposition 215, the drug has been legalized for the relief from serious illnesses as well as "any other illness for which marijuana provides relief." In the club, members register their illness and are given identification cards. The majority of members are people with HIV or AIDS, followed by cancer patients. "Managing Children, AIDS, and Dying" New York Times (01/20/97) P. B2; Herszenhorn, David M. The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund focuses this week on Angela H.--a single mother of four who is HIV-positive, as are her two oldest children, aged 9 and 8. With the help of a Manhattan shelter and New York City's Division of AIDS services, she left the father of the children, who was abusing her. She has joined Brooklyn AIDS Day Program, and connected with other people with the disease. The program offers medical care, counseling, and other services for people with AIDS. "Get Facts Straight: AIDS Doesn't Discriminate" Richmond Times-Dispatch (01/21/97) P. A12; Dill, Barbara; Klinger, Rochelle L. In a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Barbara Dill and Rochelle L. Klinger criticize recent editorials about HIV and AIDS. The authors claim the editorials contain incorrect data which furthers discrimination. They also point out that HIV does not affect only homosexuals, and say that the editorials add to the stigma that many AIDS patients experience. "Who's News: Merck & Co." Wall Street Journal (01/20/97) P. B5 Edward M. Scolnick, president of Merck Research Laboratories, was chosen as one of two inside directors of the company. Scolnick most recently directed Merck's research of HIV and AIDS treatments. "Across the USA: New Jersey" USA Today (01/21/97) P. 13A A New Jersey law permits the state to form a "research" program to legalize the medical use of marijuana and other drugs. "Evaluation of a System Using Oral Mucosal Transudate for HIV-1 Antibody Screening and Confirmatory Testing" Journal of the American Medical Association (01/15/97) Vol. 277, No. 3, P. 254; Gallo, Dana; George, J. Richard; Fitchen, John H.; et al. A test to detect HIV-1 antibodies in saliva has several advantages over the standard blood test, including increased safety for collection and handling of samples, increased patient compliance, and an alternative for patients in which blood sampling is difficult. The accuracy of such tests has been questioned, however, due to conflicting reports. Epitome's Dr. John H. Fitchen and colleagues thus tested the company's OraSure HIV-1 antibody test in 3,570 subjects to determine its accuracy. The test, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is designed to collect oral mucosal transudate, an oral fluid with concentrated levels of HIV antibodies. The researchers concluded that OraSure was as accurate as serum testing. They also suggest that the saliva test would be well-suited for use in a home HIV test kit, in large part because it does not involve the use of a needle, which is both safer and more advantageous to individuals with compromised venous access. Moreover, they note, the collection device is easy to use and portable; the samples remain stable for at least three weeks, which makes the test useful in outreach and Third World settings; and because training related to saliva testing is minimal, the device reduces the personnel costs associated with gathering samples for HIV testing. "The French Connection" New York (01/13/97) Vol. 30, No. 1, P. 28 New York restaurant owner Florent, who regularly offers counsel to people seeking assisted suicide, says he does not regret his involvement in the practice. Florent began supporting assisted suicide for dying AIDS patients in 1986, after seeing a friend die slowly in a hospital. Now, in addition to his advice in the restaurant, he is a member of the board of Choice in Dying, a New York organization that advocates the use of living wills for dying patients to refuse life-supporting medical care. He say that although his actions could be interpreted as "promoting a suicide attempt" and be considered a felony, he is not worried about prosecution.