First-Ever HIV Treatment Guide for Women Launched by Women Alive;
KNOWLEDGE, ACTION, HEALTH Encourages Empowerment Among
HIV-Positive Women
MIAMI, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Women Alive, a national organization dedicated to women with HIV disease, today
released KNOWLEDGE, ACTION, HEALTH - A Woman's Guide to HIV Treatments, the first-ever women's
comprehensive HIV treatment guide.
``We must begin to make sense of confusing advice and missing data surrounding our HIV treatment choices,'' said Mary
Lucey, co-founder of Women Alive. ``Women have been neglected as HIV study participants and treatment decision makers
even though we represent the fastest growing group of people being infected with HIV in the United States and throughout
the world. We must turn the tide by arming ourselves with knowledge to live by.''
AIDS is the third most common cause of death for American women ages 25-44 and the leading cause of death among
African-American women in this age group. Between 1991 and 1995, 63,000 women have been diagnosed with AIDS.
Women represent nearly 20% of the epidemic in the U.S. and comprise only 12% of study participants in clinical trials.
Women must carefully understand key concepts like efficacy, side effects, drug resistance, central nervous system
penetration, cost and life goals to assess the components of a treatment combination. KNOWLEDGE, ACTION, HEALTH
is written to equip women with the most up-to-date information possible to enable them to actively and knowledgeably
participate in making treatment decisions with a trusted physician.
The pocket-sized format is designed with action steps to encourage readers to organize and use information important to
them. A ``scorecard'' helps readers evaluate potential combination therapies. Colorful illustrations, charts and worksheets
enable readers to better understand the various treatment options and monitor and analyze their CD4 counts, viral load tests
and side effects. A glossary helps make the booklet accessible for a diverse audience of readers.
``Little is known about the effects of these drugs on women because of under representation in most clinical trials,'' said Judith
Currier, M.D., M.S.C., Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Southern California. ``As physicians we
will expand our understanding of the effects and increase our knowledge about results in women through the patient-doctor
partnership this guide can help create.''
This treatment guide was made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Pharmacia & Upjohn (NYSE:PNU),
sponsor of the first major study to look at women's particular responses to HIV treatment. The study utilized delavridine, a
non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, enrolling women in numbers great enough to power a significant analysis of
how the drug worked in a woman's body.
``We are only beginning to tell the story about AIDS treatments for women,'' exclaimed Ms. Lucey. ``The sad truth is that
even if I were the richest HIV- positive woman in the world, with the best possible healthcare, and David Ho as my doctor, I
still wouldn't know how HIV medicines work in my body -- and neither would he!''
Women Alive works to bring the most up-to-date information to HIV-positive women, help them monitor their results,
communicate those to medical providers and work to ensure the inclusion of more women in clinical trials. It was founded in
1991 by and for women living with HIV/AIDS who understand the pain and fear of living with disease, how easy it is to hide
and how difficult it can be to reach out. Women Alive is the organization built to bring others out of isolation for the purpose
of taking charge of life, care and destiny.
To attain a copy of KNOWLEDGE, ACTION, HEALTH - A Woman's Guide to HIV Treatments, contact Women Alive,
1566 Burnside Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90019; Phone: 213-965-1564; Fax: 213-965-9886. |
