Recommended AIDS Newsletters, Directories

We have found the following newsletters and directories (listed alphabetically) among the best sources of current AIDS treatment information.

* The AIDS/HIV Experimental Treatment Directory is compiled and published quarterly by AmFAR ( the American Foundation for AIDS Research), and includes a comprehensive list of antivirals and immune modulators for which clinical trials are currently ongoing or are planned. Treatments for opportunistic infections are described more briefly. The directory also includes informa- tion about the current status of clinical trials, such as the purpose and duration of the trial, the criteria for being included or excluded, and the names of the manufacturers and investigators. It often has information not otherwise published or available, obtained from interviews with researchers. A single copy is $10--free for persons with HIV who cannot afford it. Annual subscription is $30. To order the directory by phone, call 212/719-0033; by mail, send a check to: AmFAR, 1515 Broad- way, Suite 3601, New York, NY 10036. (Note: the February 1989 issue is a special edition titled A Practical Guide to Clinical Research. It is a handbook for people considering volunteering for clinical trials.)

* AIDS Medical Report, published monthly by American Health Consultants is a journal of in-depth articles on the treatment of

HIV-related disorders. Articles are written for physicians but are usually quite readable by patients. To subscribe, write AIDS Medical Report, 67 Peachtree Park Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309; subscriptions are $109. per year. Note: We do not recommend the "special reports" also sold by the publisher. The ones we have seen seem overpriced, and not as useful as the newsletter itself.

* AIDS Targeted Information Newsletter (ATIN) is a monthly collection of abstracts selected from recent medical literature. Many are highly technical, written for scientists and physicians. They are grouped into eight areas: molecular, virological, immu- nological, epidemiological and clinical research, treatment and assay methods, and ethical/legal concerns. To order ATIN, call 800/638-6423. In Maryland call 528-4105 collect. Subscription price is $125. per year individual, $275. for institutions.

* Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS (BETA) is published by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Two issues have appeared to date; the first focused on AZT, the second on other, experimental antivirals, with an update on AZT. They provide a very good overview of promising options for HIV intervention. BETA is free to residents of San Francisco. To subscribe, call 415/861-3397.


* The Directory of Antiviral and Immunomodulatory Therapies for AIDS (DAITA) is published by CDC AIDS Weekly (a privately published AIDS newsletter not connected with the Centers for Disease Control). This directory aims to be complete, to review "current published research on every drug or therapy that has been presented as a potential treatment for AIDS"--but as the name implies, it does not include treatments for opportunistic infections. DAITA differs from the AmFAR directory (see review above) in several ways. It includes all antivirals or immune modulators (AmFAR often omits those which appear unpromising), usually reviews published information only (AmFAR also includes original reporting), and does not have the detailed information about clinical trials which AmFAR's directory does. We find DAITA a handy reference for basic information when we hear about proposed treatments with which we are not familiar. DAITA costs $26 for the current issue. For ordering information, call CDC AIDS Weekly, 205/991-6920.

* P.I. Perspectives is a quarterly journal from Project Inform. It often covers public policy issues (drug access, FDA regulations), as well as treatment information. Project Inform has long endorsed early intervention for HIV infection, and has developed a "treatment strategy" to help people who are HIV- positive make choices about monitoring and treatment to stay healthy. To receive the treatment strategy information, P.I. Perspectives, and in-depth writeups of several popular treatments, people outside of California can call 800/822-7422; from California outside of San Francisco call 800/334-7422; from San Francisco (and from outside the United States) call (415)558-9051. There is no charge, but a donation is requested.

* Treatment Issues is published ten times a year by the Gay Men's Health Crisis. A wide range of excellent articles has covered new anti-HIV drugs, immunomodulators and treatments for all the major opportunistic infections. Articles are useful for both patients and physicians. To subscribe, write to GMHC, Dept. of Medical Information, 129 W 20th St., New York, NY 10011. A $20 donation is requested for those who can afford it.


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Statement of Purpose

AIDS Treatment News reports on experimental and complementary treatments, especially those available now. It collects information from medical journals, and from interviews with scientists physicians, and other health practitioners, and per- sons with AIDS or ARC.

Long-term survivors have usually tried many different treatments, and found combinations which work for them. AIDS Treatment News does not recommend particular therapies, but seeks to increase the options available.

We also examine the ethical and public-policy issues around AIDS treatment research.