Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Thu Feb 6 09:31:03 PST 1997 (173 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1997, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary February 6, 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 ****************************************************** "Suicide Is Found Common in Advanced AIDS Cases" "Plan's Options Unclear to AIDS Patients" "AIDS Patient's Right to Die in Limbo" "Acquiring, Upgrading Plasma Collection Centers" "AIDS and Blacks the Topic for Town Meeting Saturday" "Immune Discovery Sheds Light on AIDS" "Calif. Legislator Proposes Marijuana Research Center" "Testing of AIDS Drug Banned in S. Africa" "Whey to Go" "Rapid Self Testing for HIV Infection" ****************************************************** "Suicide Is Found Common in Advanced AIDS Cases" New York Times (02/06/97) P. A18 A survey of AIDS doctors in San Francisco reveals physician-assisted suicide has been a common alternative for AIDS patients. The survey, which was conducted from November 1994 to January 1995, found that 53 percent of 118 respondents had assisted in a patient's suicide. Assisting in suicide was defined as "prescription of a lethal dose of narcotics to a patient." The results appear in an article written by five San Francisco medical professionals in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "Plan's Options Unclear to AIDS Patients" Philadelphia Inquirer (02/06/97) P. B1; Collins, Huntly Although Pennsylvania's plan to begin moving AIDS patients on Medicaid into health maintenance organizations (HMOs) is slated to begin in eight days, patients have not yet been given a list of AIDS doctors from which to choose. About 100 AIDS activists gathered in South Philadelphia on Monday to protest the state's failure to provide doctor lists as it initiates its HealthChoices plan. The Welfare Department has thus agreed to publish a partial list of AIDS doctors, but Ronda Goldfein, an attorney with the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, said that "without a comprehensive list, there is really no way for a client to compare the different HMOs and to know which one to go to." The variety of new treatment options available and the difficulty of treatment decisions makes an experienced doctor very important to a patient's health, noted Robert T. Schooley, of the University of Colorado. "AIDS Patient's Right to Die in Limbo" Miami Herald (02/05/97) P. 5B; Rozsa, Lori Although AIDS patient Charles Hall won the right to an assisted suicide from Florida last week, the ruling has been appealed by state attorneys, preventing Hall from legally taking action. Lawyers for Hall and his doctor, Cecil McIver, have asked Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Lucy Brown to end the stay. Her decision is expected within a week. Hall is very ill, enduring his third bout of AIDS-related pneumonia, and says he just wants the decision about when to end his life to be his. However, the state attorneys argue that allowing Hall's assisted suicide would give other patients the same opportunity. "Acquiring, Upgrading Plasma Collection Centers" Investor's Business Daily (02/06/97) P. A4; Zmirak, John Serologicals, a pharmaceutical company which collects antibodies from human blood plasma for other companies to use in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like AIDS, rabies, and hepatitis, is thriving as the industry is placed under increased regulatory pressure. The firm locates, tests, and pays plasma donors in 42 centers across the country, searching primarily for "women with roots in the community," according to Serologicals CEO Harold Tenoso. In the last decade, the Food and Drug Administration has developed stricter regulations for the plasma and blood collection industry due to the risk of AIDS. "The mom-and-pop plasma facilities are finding it prohibitive to keep up with new regulations. Many of them are going up for sale--and Serological is buying," notes analyst David Steinberg of Volpe, Welty, and Co. The company added 16 new centers in 1994, three in 1995, and 11 in 1996. For the third quarter ending Sept. 29, revenue was up to $15.8 million from $13.6 million the year before. "AIDS and Blacks the Topic for Town Meeting Saturday" Philadelphia Inquirer (02/06/97) P. B2 A town meeting to be held in North Philadelphia on Saturday will address the impact of AIDS on the African American community. The meeting, to be held at Deliverance Evangelist Church, will be cosponsored by Blacks Educating Blacks About Sexual Health Issues and radio station WDAS-AM, which will broadcast the discussion live. The meeting will include presentations about new AIDS treatments and services and will be followed by a candlelight procession. "Immune Discovery Sheds Light on AIDS" United Press International (02/05/97); Wasowicz, Lidia A gene responsible for activating the immune system, which may also play a role in HIV infection, has been discovered and cloned by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The findings were reported in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature. Drugs to block the gene, called NIK, may be able to inhibit unwanted immune responses. Lead study author David Wallach noted, "NIK activation is a crucial first step in triggering the immune response." "Calif. Legislator Proposes Marijuana Research Center" Reuters (02/05/97) Democratic California state Senator John Vasconcellos plans to introduce a bill that will establish a state-funded research center to study the medical uses of marijuana and create a task force charged with developing a plan to provide the drug to those who need it for medical reasons. "If the federal government is unwilling to conduct real research to benefit sick and dying people, then California will," he said, citing the Clinton administration's opposition to the state's new medical marijuana law. Under the proposed legislation, a research center would be set up to conduct clinical trials of the drug as a treatment for chronic pain, nausea caused by chemotherapy, and other conditions. "Testing of AIDS Drug Banned in S. Africa" Xinhua News Agency (02/06/97) The controversial anti-HIV drug Virodene P058 has been banned by South Africa's Medicines Control Council, according to a local paper in Johannesburg. The drug was found to contain the highly toxic industrial solvent dimethylformamide, which can cause deadly liver damage and cancer. Three researchers had told the cabinet two weeks ago that the drug had shown promise for curing AIDS. "Whey to Go" POZ (02/97) P. 102; Burroughs, Carola Whey, a component of milk, is a popular diet supplement among AIDS patients because it improves weight gain and provides a protein-rich energy boost while containing little lactose. Laboratory studies have shown that a new whey protein concentrate, called Immunocal, can inhibit HIV replication while also stimulating the production of glutathione, an amino acid that helps control progression of the virus. Small trials of the treatment in HIV-positive children and adults have demonstrated its benefit. "Rapid Self Testing for HIV Infection" Lancet (02/01/97) Vol. 349, No. 9048, P. 352; Merson, Michael H.; Feldman, Eric A.; Bayer, Ronald; et al. The advent of HIV home test kits raised many complex issues recently, but the concept of a true self test for HIV raises even more. The implications of HIV self-testing at home (independent of an outside laboratory) for both individuals and public health must be considered before it is introduced, contend Dr. Michael H. Merson, of Yale University's medical school, and colleagues, in a Lancet commentary. A rapid self-test could largely increase access to HIV testing, the authors say, noting that survey results show that 30 percent of people would choose a home test, including 60 percent who have not been tested. Because such tests would be conducted separate from counseling services, which the Food and Drug Administration required for current home HIV tests, their benefits must be balanced against concerns about quality, use, and impact. The tests would have to be accurate, easy to administer, safe, and easy to read. The psychological responses to both positive and negative test results would also have to be better understood before a self-test is made available. The potential for misuse of rapid self tests--such as for forced testing or discrimination--must also be considered, as should the ethical concerns of cost and access to HIV treatment, the authors conclude.