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by David Prybylo
Q-Notes Staff
Task Force on AIDS drugs
formed
WASHINGTON—HHS Secretary Donna
Shalala announced on November 30 that a
National Task Force on AIDS Drug Devel
opment has been formed to expedite the
search for new therapies against AIDS and
HIV.
The expert panel will be highly focused,
says Shalala, and will seek new and innova
tive approaches to the development of AIDS
drugs.
“The task force has a clear and critical
mission: to identify, and remove, any barri
ers or obstacles to developing effective treat
ments,” Shalala said.
The 15-member panel will be drawn from
govermnent, the pharmaceutical industry,
academia, medicine and the AIDS-affected
communities. “This represents unprec
edented high-level collaboration among lead
ers in the field,” Shalala said.
“None of us can guarantee success,” she
added. “HIV is a vicious and cunning adver
sary. But history will judge us harshly if we
fail to give it our best shot.”
“The FDA has iflade great strides in
streamlining the approval process for drugs
to treat life-threatening conditions, and the
NIH has contributed mightily to our under
standing of AIDS and HIV. In addition, the
Clinton administration and Congress have
raised the NIH AIDS research budget 21
percent this year, to $1.3 billion. But the sad
fact remains that not a single New Drug
Application for an antiretroviral drug is cur
rently before the FDA. No matter how much
we shorten the pipeline, we cannot achieve
our goal unless we start filling that pipeline
with promising compounds,” Shalala said.
The Task Force on AIDS Drug Develop
ment will be appointed by and report to the
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Possible AIDS vaccine “on the
right track”
ST. LOUIS—A potential AIDS vaccine
under study at St. Louis University School of
Medicine’s AIDS Vaccine Evaluation Unit
(AVEU) appeared to cause no major side
effects in study volunteers and produced
antibodies that killed a laboratory strain of
HIV. Findingsofthestudyongpl60(Immuno
AG, Vienna, Austria) appear in the Decem
ber issued of the Journal of Infectious Dis
eases and represent the first published re
sults of studies with this gpl60 vaccine.
The vaccine is made using genetic engi
neering to create a synthetic protein that
mimics one protein of HIV (gpl60). When
the gp 160 vaccine is injected into the body,
it triggers production of antibodies, stimu
lating the immune system into mounting a
defense against HIV. Because gpl60 is
synthetic, it is impossible to contract HIV or
AIDS from the vaccine. -j u k
“The results are encouraging,” said Rob
ert B. Belshe, M.D., professor of internal
medicine, director of the division of infec
tious diseases and immunology, and director
of the Center for Vaccine Development.
“There are several significant findings. One
is the vaccine’s safety. Two, the vaccine
induced antibodies that killed a laboratory
strain of HIV. We don’t know if this means
that the vaccine will work against a ‘real
world’ strain of HIV, but we’re on the right
track.”
The study also showed that gpl60 may
produce an effect known as T-cell memory,
so that once exposed to the vaccine, the
immune system is primed to recognize and
attack HIV at some time in the future. “The
vaccine induced a very vigorous T-cell
memory response that we hope would enable
the immune system to react quickly to attack
and kill the AIDS virus,” said Dr. Belshe.
“How long that memory lasts is something
we’ll be looking into in the fiitme, but we
think it’s a yery significant findiiig.”
The study at St. Louis University School
of Medicine’s AVEU and four other univer
sities involved 60 volunteers. Each volun
teer received four injections over a one-year
period. One group received a low dose of
gpl60, a second group received a higher
dose of the vaccine, and a third group was
given an injection that did not contain the
vaccine. Antibodies were measured every
one to two months durmg the study. Re
searchers found that three injections of the
vaccine stimulated vaccine-induced antibod
ies to HIV. Four shots boosted that antibody
response. The best responses were seen in
those in the high-dose group. Seventy-five
percent of volunteers who received the high
est dose developed neutralizing antibodies.
Researchers will now test even higher doses
of gpl60 in an attempt to boost antibody
production. They will also test a form of the
gpl60 vaccine made from a different strain
of HIV, more commonly found in the United
States.
Science magazine, however, in a report
issued Nov. 12, has questioned the efficacy
of current vaccines in trial. Although they
did not mention the St. Louis study, the
report says that while three other vaccine
studies have shown that the vaccine candi
dates produce antibody response in subjects,
the antibodies were not effective against
“primary field isolates,” or fresh virus that
had been taken from AIDS patients.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease,
expressed concern about the findings. “It
certainly does make me anxious about going
forward with large-scale efficacy trials,” he
said.
Officials at NI AID have scheduled ameet-
ing for next spring to evaluate the vaccine
tests and to decide whether or not to go
forward with vaccine tests now scheduled
for the end of next year.
Funding directory published
NEW YORK—For the first time ever, a
directory has been published which provides
information on funders for gay, lesbian, and
bisexual projects. Published by The Work
ing Group on Funding Lesbian and Gay
Issues, Funders of Lesbian, Gay and Bi
sexual Programs: A Directory for
Grantseekers lists over 100 foundations and
corporations from across the country who
have supported lesbian or gay programs.
All of the organizations listed in the Di
rectory have provided financial support to
lesbian, gay and/or bisexual programs. How
ever, the extent of support varies greatly,
from exclusive funding of lesbian and gay
projects, to awarding a single grant to a gay
or lesbian organization. The majority of
grantmakers included ftmd programs only in
their local geographic area, however over
25% of the entries also fund programs
throughout the country.
“This Directory will be a valuable re
source for organizations seeking funding for
lesbian, gay and bisexual programs,” said
Nancy Cunningham, Executive Director of
the Working Group. “We plan to update and
expand the Directory annually to provide a
reliable, timely source of potential funders
for the important work of Ae lesbian, gay
and bisexual communities.
“Although lesbians and gay men have
done an admirable job in supporting their
own communities over the years, the press
ing needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual citi
zens for services and legal protection are
much greater than the resources available,”
said Bob Crane, Vice President, Joyce Mertz-
Gilmore Foundation and Co-Chair, Work
ing Group. “In addition, there remains an
important educational task within the phil
anthropic community to promote understand
ing of and equal rights for people regardless
of their sexual orientation. The Working
Group can play a significant role in this
process.”
The Directory is available for S10.00. To
order the Directory or for ftuiher informa
tion on the Working Group contact The
Working Group on Funding Lesbian and
Gay Issues, 666 Broadway, Suite 520, New
York, New York 10012, (212) 475-2930,
(212) 982-3321 fax.
Miller to sponsor Gay Games
IV
MILWAUKEE—Miller Brewing Com
pany will be the exclusive malt beverage
sponsor of Gay Games IV & Cultural Festi
val, June 18-25, 1994, in New York City.
According to Greg Plowe, consumer pro
motions manager, “Gay Games IV is an
international event, and this year more than
15,000 athletes from 40 countries are ex
pected to participate. We’re pleased to be
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