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Biotech / Medical : Agouron Pharmaceuticals (AGPH) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JOHN W. who wrote (2964)	11/24/1997 12:15:00 AM
From: Joe E.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6136

<<Fauci urges early AIDS treatment>> This is similar to the recommendation that health care workers accidentally exposed get anti-HIV medication immediately, although in that case for a limited time. Sort of a morning-after treatment. The idea is to avoid the virus from establishing a foothold. (Yes of course there is a diffrence too.) The trick seems to be to catch people at this point in the infection. Most people with HIV infection do not even get tested, even though they suspect they may be infected. Only a very very few are likely to be identified at the very early stage Dr. Fauci is talking about. But Dr. Fauci has a recommendation for those that are identified at this stage -- treat them! IMO this is a little bit different than the hit early-hit HAART idea, although it does lead to pretty much the same thing. I do not think that this recommendation about what to do in a rather special situation undoes the problems I see (just my opinion) in the NIH guidelines. Those guidelines IMO give the doc (and presumably the patient) some excuses for not acting immediately if the case is not symptomatic. Based upon what appears to be known now about the progression of the disease, the guidelines seem wrong in this area, except perhaps for people who will assuredly NOT be able to take their medications once they leave the doctor's side. This is an area that needs to be corrected in the guidelines. The waffling in the NIH guidelines can only be based upon fear of resistance developing in patients who are not expected to be careful to take their medicine regularly because they are feeling OK physically. Such resistant viral strains could then spread easily, making treatment more difficult. When the NIH is convinced that salvage therapy works, and that there are several alternative effective treatments not subject to cross resistance they will change this part of the guidelines (I hope). Agouron can do their part by establishing that salvage therapy is generally possible for patients who fail Viracept therapy due to the development of resistance. Right now the studies on salvage therapy after failed PI treatment are based upon small studies, but clearly show that there is substantial cross resistance. Viracept is apparently the PI to give first as it is less likely to result in cross-resistant virus should resistance develop. Establishing this fact, with some statistical support, is appropriate now.

To: JOHN W. who wrote (2964)	11/24/1997 12:16:00 AM
From: billkirn	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 6136

John: This is a good opportunity to load up on Agouron, and I would wait for it to base out. My guess is around 32-35. It may be possible to buy 20% more shares for the same bucks. But if you are afraid it will run away then you must act. Bill