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

To: JOHN W. who wrote (3770)	2/8/1998 1:03:00 PM
From: JOHN W.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6136

"HIV Drugs Credited for Saving Lives in New York" Reuters (02/05/98) At the Fifth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Mary Anne Chiasson of the New York City Department of Health reported that AIDS deaths in the city fell by 30 percent between 1995 and 1996. The decline was attributed to the increased availability of protease inhibitors. A research team led by Chiasson followed 150 AIDS patients who died during 1996 and 150 who did not die, and found that 10 percent of those who died had taken protease inhibitors, versus 32 percent of those who lived.

To: JOHN W. who wrote (3770)	2/8/1998 9:32:00 PM
From: Henry Niman	Respond to of 6136

John, I just uploaded the initial Reuter's story which seemed to indicate that the buffalo humps were associated with PIs in general not just Crix. The subsequent report named several PIs, supporting the first report. The per cent affect varies widely. Usually this discrepancy happens because the low numbers are from studies that don't look very hard, while the high numbers come from studies specifically looking for the condition. A good example would be phen/fen. Millions took the drug and no one really noticed the heart irregularities. When patients were subsequently tested, 1/3 had the defect. I suspect its the same for Buffalo Hump. If patients have been on a PI for a reasonable period of time (1 or 2 years), I suspect that the per cent will be much higher than 1%, and the condition will be associated with all PIs. Earlier characterizations of the condition as "insignificant" would be premature at best and grossly misleading at worst (actually the worst could be much stronger than grossly misleading). As far as the cross resistance is concerned, I initially expressed surprise, base on the Jesse Eisinger article that came out several months ago. Your recent upload confirms my earlier posts. There is cross resistance (in the AGPH study, a significant per cent who started on Viracept and failed, were not able to achieve long lasting effects with subsequent PIs). The recent upload also fails to address my comments about time (I don't think that 24 weeks is a long time) and sensitivity (a detection limit of 500 copied per ml is not very sensitive).

To: JOHN W. who wrote (3770)	2/9/1998 6:37:00 AM
From: Henry Niman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6136

Speaking of viral resistance, earlier I had indicated that resistant strains would be spread as concerns about the disease eased due to successful treatment. Today Reuter's has an article on HIV status disclosure. Lack of disclosure is rather high, especially among men: B O S T O N, Feb. 9 - A study due to be published today found that three out of four women infected with the AIDS virus told their sexual partners while about half the number of infected men disclosed their affliction. Led by Brown University's Dr. Michael Stein, researchers at two New England city hospitals found that only 52 percent of men opposed to 78 percent of women told their sexual partners of their HIV status. The study will be published in today's Archives of Internal Medicine. Of those who did not disclose they were infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, only 42 percent said they always used a condom during sexual intercourse. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long recommended condoms as a method of preventing the spread of AIDS. Partners Left Not Knowing The researchers interviewed HIV patients who reported having sexual partners during the previous six months and found that among those who had one steady partner, 21 percent failed to disclose their status. "There are powerful forces working in favor of non-disclosure," the researchers said. "First, there are the psychological consequences of disclosure, especially the risk of rejection." Among the 129 HIV patients in the study, 69 percent were men. Drug users made up 41 percent of those in the study, while 20 percent said they were homosexual or bisexual and 39 percent were heterosexual. There have been recent calls for state and city health departments to publicly identify people who have tested positive for HIV. Stein added in an interview, "It comes down to personal responsibility and no public health intervention will solve the problem. "The recommendation we reached is an old one, which is that condoms should be used as much as possible if not always," he said.