OBTAINING TREATMENTS FROM ABROAD

Buyers' clubs in New York and San Francisco recently began helping people import drugs with promise for AIDS/HIV and opportunistic infections, from countries where these drugs are approved. This is possible because a physician can legally prescribe any drug for her or his patient if it is approved for human use in the country of origin; the FDA recently said it would not obstruct shipments ordered only for personal use, at least for drugs that the agency deems safe.

The PWA Health Group in New York is able to obtain fluconazole, roxithromycin (see AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #75, March 10, 1989), dextran sulfate, isoprinosine, ribavirin, and hypericin herbal extracts (which are also available in the U.S.). It will consider requests for other drugs if approved for prescription use in other countries. The PWA Health Group can be reached at 212/532-0280. A long tape message will answer first with a comprehensive explanation of available products and prices, so have a pen and paper on hand.

The Healing Alternatives Foundation in San Francisco can order dextran sulfate, fluconazole, hypericin herbal extracts, and possibly roxithromycin. Healing Alternatives may be able to ship orders to customers. Their number is 415/626-2316.

This development is a vital step in the direction of people gaining urgent access to potentially life-saving drugs -- drugs like fluconazole which could languish out of reach for years if we have to wait for FDA approval or NIH or drug-company funding. If other buyers' clubs are able to follow suit, we would like to hear from them, especially regarding treatments not mentioned above. Call Denny at AIDS TREATMENT NEWS, 415/255-0588.


AMFAR FUNDS COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH IN 15 CITIES

On April 27, the American Foundation for AIDS Research awarded $1.4 million in development grants for community-based research -- efforts to organize community physicians and patients to test treatments under the supervision of research profession- als, but outside the major medical centers where such trials would usually be run.

Organizations receiving the awards are located in Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX, Boston, MA, Brooklyn, NY, Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA, New Haven, CT, New York, NY, Portland, OR, Redwood City, CA, San Francisco, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Springfield, VA, and Westwood, NJ.

In San Francisco, the Community Research Alliance (see AIDS Treatment News #70, December 1, 1988) received $30,000 under this program for organization development. The County Community Consortium received two grants, one for development and another for its AZT and HIV alternative-treatment databases.