ANNOUNCEMENTS:

DDI USERS GROUP ORGANIZED IN BOSTON

A ddI users group started in Boston may be a model for other groups elsewhere.

The Boston group, which has its third monthly meeting next week, provides support and basic information. It is open to persons using the drug or considering doing so. While set up as a service for patients, it has also helped researchers improve their study designs.

For more information about this group, call Ray at the AIDS Action Committee, 617/437-6200, ext. 432.

MAI DRUG AVAILABLE NOW IN IV FORM

Rifampin, an orally administered drug commonly used to treat MAI and tuberculosis, has recently been given FDA clearance for use in an injectable form. The injectable drug could be valuable for people who have difficulty tolerating the oral formulation, and for people whose gastrointestinal tract does not absorb the drug very well. Rifampin is frequently used in combination with other MAI drugs, and it is marketed under the trade name Rifadin.

SEATTLE TREATMENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM

The Seattle Treatment Exchange Project (STEP) was organized early last year to provide a forum to disseminate the latest information on treatments for AIDS and HIV. Twice a month STEP sponsors community meetings to share treatment news. A quarterly newsletter and several discussion papers are available, addressing such topics as cryptosporidiosis, Kaposi's sarcoma, CMV, oral manifestations of HIV, recombinant CD4, and cimetidine. For more information, call STEP is 206/329-4857.

ANNUAL AIDS CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL EARLIER THIS YEAR: SUNDAY MAY 20

The annual AIDS Candlelight Memorial, held in over 200 of cities throughout the world, has previously been scheduled near the end of May, on the U. S. Memorial Day weekend. This year it is a week earlier, but many people are not aware of the schedule change and may therefore miss the event. Mark your calendar if you want to go; it's May 20 this year.

For more information about the Candlelight Memorial, call Mobilization Against AIDS, San Francisco, 415/863-4676.


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 persons 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 and treatment access.