                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      December 8, 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 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

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"F.D.A. Backs a New Drug to Fight AIDS"
"On-Line Society Angered by Plan to Curb Content"
"Across the USA: Texas"
"Gay Ex-Cop Charges Discrimination on Miami Beach Force"
"AIDS Ministry Lays Off Eight; Using Volunteers"
"AIDS Victim Named Woman of the Year"
"Schering-Plough Corp.: Intron A Melanoma Drug Cleared By FDA For
Sale"
" Preliminary Results From Phase III Trial of Doxil"
"Prevention of SIV Infection in Macaques by 
(R)-9-(2-Phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine"
"Coming Clean about Needle Exchange"
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"F.D.A. Backs a New Drug to Fight AIDS"
New York Times (12/08/95) P. B12;  Hilts, Philip J.
     The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Wednesday
saquinavir, the first of a new class of drugs called protease 
inhibitors.  Drug manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. of Nutley, 
N.J., pledged to have the anti-HIV drug, which will sell under 
the name Invirase, in pharmacies within 48 hours.  The company 
also announced that as part of a new financial assistance 
program, it would provide the drug to patients who are waiting to
be approved for coverage or reimbursement, and to some uninsured 
individuals.  The wholesale price of one day's dose will be 
$15.89.  The FDA, meanwhile, noted that this was the fastest 
approval process ever for a drug, taking just 97 days from the 
time Hoffmann-La Roche submitted an application.  Research shows 
that saquinavir has been able to stem the reduction in CD4 cells,
at least temporarily, and moderately increase their level with 
only relatively mild side effects.  Two other drug 
companies--Merck & Company and Abbott Laboratories--are working 
on similar compounds, though neither has yet sought FDA approval 
for them.  Related Stories: Wall Street Journal (12/08) P. B5; 
Washington Post (12/08) P. A3; Investor's Business Daily (12/08) 
P. A1; Washington Times (12/08) P. A3; Philadelphia Inquirer 
(12/08) P. A3
      
"On-Line Society Angered by Plan to Curb Content"
Wall Street Journal (12/08/95) P. B5;  Sandberg, Jared
     Wednesday's 17-16 House vote to make it illegal for anyone to 
deliberately display "indecent" material which can be seen by a 
minor on the Internet punishable by a fine and prison has sparked
outrage among users of online services.  Consultant Craig 
Johnson, for example, described Congress' move as "the age of 
electronic book burning," and worried that the word "indecent" 
might be applied to literary works, public health and medical 
exchanges, and discussions of AIDS.  Currently, the American 
Civil Liberties Union is readying a court challenge to the action
on the basis of the First Amendment.  Online advocates are also 
urging the House to hold another vote to clarify what "indecency"
means.  Furthermore, online experts claim that this action could 
create serious problems with unintended results.  Last week, 
America Online Inc.--in an attempt to eliminate vulgarity from 
members' online profiles--decided to exclude all uses of the word
"breast," and in doing so erased profiles of many breast cancer 
patients.
      
"Across the USA: Texas"
USA Today (12/08/95) P. 10A
     The decision of Texas Education Commissioner Mike Moses to refuse
nearly $2 million in federal grants for AIDS education has 
ignited anger among AIDS activists.  Moses said he rejected the 
money because he did not want requirements for how local schools 
should teach sex education.
      
"Gay Ex-Cop Charges Discrimination on Miami Beach Force"
Miami Herald (12/07/95) P. 1B;  De Valle, Elaine
     Pete Zecchini, an openly gay former officer with the Miami Beach 
Police Department, has charged the force with discrimination.  
Zecchini said that his difficulties began four years ago, when it
became known that his lover was HIV-positive and others feared 
that he was as well.  "The Miami Beach Police Department has 
presumed that since my lover has AIDS, that I have it also," 
commented Zecchini, who resigned Friday after six years with the 
department.  Police Chief Richard Baretto denied any allegations 
of prejudice or discrimination, but Zecchini said that fellow 
officers were ostracized to the point that they would not defend 
him in risky situations.  Also, when he once coughed during a 
training session, the instructor filed a worker's compensation 
injury report, claiming that Zecchini's saliva "came into contact
with instructor's eyes and mouth."  Zecchini's attorney, Loring 
Spolter, claims the Miami Beach officers are violating the 
Americans with Disabilities Act.
      
"AIDS Ministry Lays Off Eight; Using Volunteers"
Richmond Times-Dispatch (12/07/95) P. B3;  Robertson, Gary
     Financial constraints have forced the Richmond (Va.) AIDS 
Ministry to layoff many of its employees this year, including 
eight workers within the last two weeks.  The organization is now
relying on volunteers to provide services to 16 AIDS patients in 
two residential facilities.  A spokeswoman for the group said 
that the reductions were in part because the Ministry grew too 
fast, and also because "we have to anticipate the worst for the 
level of [federal] funding in 1997 and beyond."  The federal 
government finances about half of the ministry's monthly budget.
      
"AIDS Victim Named Woman of the Year"
Toronto Globe and Mail (12/07/95) P. A4
     Chatelaine magazine has selected as its Woman of the Year 
Rochelle Pittman, a woman who died of AIDS earlier this year 
after bringing much attention to the scope of Canada's 
tainted-blood tragedy.  Mrs. Pittman became infected from her 
husband, who received infected blood during heart surgery.  
According to the magazine, she "rattled a paternalistic medical 
establishment to its core, challenged public perceptions of a 
stigmatized disease associated mainly with gay men and helped 
bring about a federal inquiry into the tainted-blood tragedy that
left about 1,400 Canadians HIV-infected."  Mrs. Pittman's story 
garnered attention in March 1994, when she was awarded some 
$515,000 in a lawsuit filed against her husband's doctor, Toronto
Hospital, and the Canadian Red Cross.  The court found the doctor
liable for not informing Mr. Pittman that he was infected with 
HIV via a blood transfusion, and the Red Cross and the hospital 
shared some of the liability in failing to notify the doctor 
immediately of possible infection.
      
"Schering-Plough Corp.: Intron A Melanoma Drug Cleared By FDA For
Sale"
Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B4
     The FDA has granted marketing approval to Schering-Plough Corp. 
for the anticancer drug Intron A.  The drug is an auxiliary 
treatment to surgery for patients with malignant melanoma, and 
clinical tests have shown it to be effective in increasing 
patients' survival rates.  Previously Intron A was approved for 
treatment of hairy-cell leukemia, AIDS-related Kaposi's syndrome,
condylomata acuminata, and chronic hepatitis B and C.  Shares of 
Schering rose $1.375 to $60.625 upon the news.
      
" Preliminary Results From Phase III Trial of Doxil"
Business Wire (12/06/95)
     SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced on Wednesday preliminary 
Phase III clinical trial results that indicated anticancer drug 
Doxil showed effectiveness in treating Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS 
patients.  The drug was compared to standard combination 
chemotherapy consisting of the drugs Adriamycin, Bleomycin, and 
Vincristine.  No application for FDA marketing approval for Doxil
as a first-line therapy has been filed, but Doxil was granted 
marketing clearance in November as a treatment for Kaposi's 
sarcoma in patients for whom conventional chemotherapy is not 
effective or well-tolerated.
      
"Prevention of SIV Infection in Macaques by 
(R)-9-(2-Phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine"
Science (11/17/95) Vol. 270, No. 5239, P. 1197;  Tsai, Che-Chung;
Follis, Kathryn E.;  Sabo, Alexander; et al.
     Researcher Che-Chung Tsai of the University of Washington 
Regional Primate Research Center and his colleagues compared the 
efficacy of pre- and postexposure therapy with the antiviral 
compound (R)-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine, or PMPA, 
against the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in 35 macaques.  
Subcutaneous does of the compound were administered either 48 
hours before, 4 hours after, or 24 hours after injection with the
virus.  The monkeys were observed for 56 weeks, though treatment 
was stopped after just four weeks.  All 25 PMPA-treated macaques 
were resistant to SIV infection and experienced no toxicity, 
while all 10 control animals became infected with the simian 
virus.  According to the researchers, these findings indicate 
that PMPA prophylaxis could potentially be useful against some 
early HIV infections.
      
"Coming Clean about Needle Exchange"
Lancet (11/25/95) Vol. 346, No. 8967, P. 1377
     Laws that prohibit the sale or possession of drug paraphernalia 
and those that keep drug addicts from obtaining clean injection 
equipment are detrimental to the public's health, according to 
the editors of The Lancet.  The editors state that such laws 
should be eliminated, as should Public Law 102-394--a law which 
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently recommended be removed. 
Congressional opponents should consider not only data from the 
IOM, but equally convincing research from the U.S. General 
Accounting Office, the National Commission on AIDS, and the 
University of California/Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.  Contrary to critics' claims, needle exchanges do not
encourage or increase the number of drug addicts.  What these 
programs do, the editors assert, is reduce the amount of needle 
sharing and dangerous sexual behavior among drug users.  
President Clinton should act immediately, in light of the 
tremendous evidence in support of needle exchange programs, the 
editors conclude.
      
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