                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      August 10, 1995

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
endorsementby 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 1995, Information,
Inc., Bethesda, MD

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"Two Charged After AIDS Deaths"
"'AIDS Gang' Robs Banks without Fear"
"Names & Faces: Geffen's AIDS Aid"
"Insurers Paid 4.5 Percent More in '94 for AIDS Claims"
"Chimp Research Laboratory Is Taken Over by Foundation"
"Klein Urges HIV Testing"
"Biaxin OKed for MAC"
"Scandal Touches HIV Vaccine Development in Japan"
"Crisis Control: Dealing with AIDS in the Workplace"
"Color Atlas of Ocular Manifestations of AIDS: Diagnosis and 
Management"
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"Two Charged After AIDS Deaths"
Financial Times (08/10/95) P. 2
     Prosecutors in Germany have charged two company officials with
three cases of murder and 5,837 cases of attempted murder for 
distributing blood plasma which had not been screened for HIV.  
The prosecutors claim that nine batches of untested blood from an
HIV-infected donor were sent to several clinics in 1986 and 1987,
just after it became mandatory to test blood for HIV.  The two 
men--the managing director of blood processor Haemoplas and the 
co-owner of a laboratory in Wulfrath--are also said to have 
delivered more than 5,800 shipments of frozen blood products 
throughout Germany, even though at least 84 percent of it had not
been tested for the virus that causes AIDS.  Related Story: New 
York Times (08/10) P. A7
      
"'AIDS Gang' Robs Banks without Fear"
Washington Times (08/10/95) P. A14;  Baldwin, Alan
     The three members of Italy's "AIDS Gang" have threatened to
rob another bank unless they receive additional help from the 
government.  "We rob because we are forced to.  To eat.  To keep 
our problem a live issue," explained Ferdinando Attanasio, who, 
like his fellow gang members, cannot be jailed because he has 
AIDS.  Member Antonio Lamarra asked for "work, a place to live 
and help," and noted that Italy was happy to pay wages and 
protection to Mafia defectors who had murdered people.  The three
men who rob banks in broad daylight without worrying about 
security cameras were detained after a hold-up last week but were
released under an Italian law that prohibits people in the final 
stages of a terminal illness from being incarcerated.  The 
repeated thefts have caused many, including the police and 
judicial authorities, to question the two-year-old law.  Related 
Story: USA Today (08/10) P. 8A
      
"Names & Faces: Geffen's AIDS Aid"
Washington Post (08/10/95) P. C3;  Wagner, Michael
     On Wednesday, entertainment mogul David Geffen contributed $4 
million--the largest gift ever to AIDS services--to Gay Men's 
Health Crisis (GMHC) and God's Love We Deliver (GLWD).  "There 
are so many people infected today," said Geffen.  "People need to
be conscious of what they can do--it's a great need."  GMHC, the 
oldest and largest AIDS organization in the United States, will 
receive $2.5 million to build an HIV testing, education, and 
counseling facility named the David Geffen Center for HIV 
Prevention and Health Education.  GLWD, which delivers hot meals 
to homebound AIDS patients, will receive the remaining $1.5 
million.  The funds will be used to renovate a building in SoHo 
that is three times larger than its present kitchen and will be 
called the David Geffen Building.  Geffen contributed $1 million 
in 1992 to both GMHC and to the AIDS Project of Los Angeles.  
Related Story: Wall Street Journal (08/10) P. A1; USA Today 
(08/10) P 1D; New York Times (08/10) P. B3
      
"Insurers Paid 4.5 Percent More in '94 for AIDS Claims"
Wall Street Journal (08/10/95) P. B5
     A new study reveals that in 1994 insurers paid 4.5 percent
more in AIDS-related claims than in 1993.  According to the
American Council of Life Insurance and the Health Insurance
Association of America, the nearly $1.6 billion in AIDS-related
claims represents the lowest increase in the nine years the trade
groups have conducted the survey.  As a percentage of all group
health and accident claims, the number of claims related to AIDS
fell 0.3 percent to 1 percent from the previous year.  The number
as a percentage of individual claims, however, remained near 1993's
1.5 percent--a phenomenon which the health insurance association 
attributes in part to improved medical management and case 
management by insurers.
      
"Chimp Research Laboratory Is Taken Over by Foundation"
New York Times (08/10/95) P. B5;  Revkin, Andrew C.
     New York University Medical Center transferred ownership of
its chimpanzee research laboratory to the Coulston Foundation on 
Wednesday, in spite of objections from animal rights advocates.  
The Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates 
(Lemsip) has played a key part in the development of hepatitis 
vaccines and testing for AIDS vaccines.  Suzanne Roy, program 
director of In Defense of Animals, objected to the transaction, 
saying, "Lemsip stood alone among animal research labs for its 
open-door policy and responsiveness to humane concerns."  The 
U.S. Department of Agriculture recently charged the Coulston 
Foundation with keeping chimpanzees in undersize cages, and 
causing the avoidable deaths of at least five of the animals.
      
"Klein Urges HIV Testing"
Maclean's (07/24/95) Vol. 108, No. 30, P. 20
     Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has proposed testing prospective 
immigrants to Canada for HIV.  "We should know if someone coming 
into this country or applying to come into this country is 
HIV-positive," he explained.  "It's a very dangerous disease and 
could contribute even further to the cost of caring for that 
disease."  A recent report from Alberta on immigration policy 
said the province will counsel the government to turn away 
potential immigrants who are infected with the virus that causes 
AIDS.
      
"Biaxin OKed for MAC"
POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 22
     Abbott Laboratories will soon begin selling its pneumonia drug
Biaxin (clarithromycin) as a preventive treatment for 
Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), pending U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration approval.  Clinical trials indicate that Biaxin 
successfully fights off MAC, a common AIDS infection in 
individuals with CD4 counts less than 100.  The drug, however, 
has not been compared to the current MAC prophylaxis, Mycobutin 
(rifabutin) from Pharmacia.  One potential problem is that more 
than 50 percent of the patients who developed MAC while taking 
Biaxin became resistant to the drug, which only makes treatment 
of the illness more difficult.
      
"Scandal Touches HIV Vaccine Development in Japan"
Nature Medicine (08/95) Vol. 1, No. 8, P. 727;  Nathan, Richard
     A stock market scandal in Japan could threaten future funding
of promising research into the development of an HIV vaccine.  
Tsutomu Matsuzaki--the former president of the now-defunct 
computer software company TSD, which was developing an HIV 
vaccine with a scientist at Yokohama City University--allegedly  
made untrue statements about the research to increase the 
company's share price.  Three years ago, Matsuzaki announced that
clinical trials had begun, and that he had established a company 
to develop the vaccine.  In addition, Matsuzaki--who was arrested
last month--reportedly claimed that TSD had signed a joint 
research agreement with a Russian institute, five days before 
refunding was due on convertible bonds worth 4.7 billion yen, or 
$55 million.  The company's share price then increased by about 
400 yen to 2,800 yen, and the stock price soared to a high of 
3,650 yen.  It is alleged that TSD reduced its financial burden 
by 1.5 billion yen.  Clinical trials were not conducted.  
Meanwhile, professor Kenji Okuda--who was developing the vaccine 
for TSD--says he will now "look carefully for a proper 
pharmaceutical company in the future."
      
"Crisis Control: Dealing with AIDS in the Workplace"
Entrepeneur (08/95) Vol. 23, No. 8, P. 128;  Griffin, Cynthia E.
     The AIDS epidemic has significant implications for small 
businesses.  "Over half the work force in America falls within 
[the 25 to 44] age group," and AIDS is the leading cause of death
in this category, notes Jeff Monford, director of the Workplace 
Resource Center of The National Leadership Coalition on AIDS.  
Therefore, an entrepeneur's first move should be to devise a 
strategy to address the illness and related issues in the larger 
context of his business, says consultant Alan Emery.  According 
to Barney Singer of the Small Business Administration (SBA), AIDS
policies can address legal, privacy, confidentiality, and job 
accommodation issues--many of which are dealt with in the 
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).  For small businesses, the
two most important sections of the ADA  are Title One and Title 
Three, which deal with employment provisions and discrimination, 
respectively.  The cost of AIDS is also a concern to 
small-business owners.  For example, many do not understand the 
"reasonable accommodation" part of the  ADA, and expect such 
accommodations will cost thousands of dollars.  In fact, one 
study found the average reasonable change cost just $112.  "All 
that is required are reasonable accommodations for people to work
[or patronize the business], unless it would place undue 
hardship, significant difficulty, or expense on a business," 
explains SBA's Singer.
      
"Color Atlas of Ocular Manifestations of AIDS: Diagnosis and 
Management" New England Journal of Medicine (08/03/95) Vol. 333,
No. 5, P. 
328;  Duker, Jay S.
     "Color Atlas of Ocular Manifestations of AIDS: Diagnosis and 
Management," written by Juan Orellana, Ronni M. Lieberman, and 
Steven A. Teich, fills the gap in the lack of textbooks 
concerning AIDS-related ocular problems.  The book includes 
excellent color plates, and the chapter on the posterior segment 
of the eye is particularly good.  Not surprisingly, 
cytomegalovirus is well covered, but there are also examples of 
more unusual disorders--including choroidal cryptococcosis, 
herpes zoster retinitis, and candida endophtalmitis.  Although 
few disorders are ignored, one of the most obvious omissions is 
rifabutin-induced uveitis, one of the most common causes of 
iritis in HIV-infected patients.  Most medical specialists may 
find the book's review of the history, epidemiology, and systemic
manifestations of AIDS too basic, but the discussion is ideal for
eye care specialists who have limited experience with systemic 
diseases.
      
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