News Notes

SEARCH ALLIANCE: New Los Angeles Research Organization

SEARCH ALLIANCE, a new organization with major medical and
community support to conduct community-based trials, announced
its existence on June 14. It already has dozens of people
involved in its medical review board, institutional review board
(IRB), community advisory board, board of directors, and project
directors, and had two studies underway before the first public
announcement. The studies are trials of oral interferon, and of
nimodipine (Nimotop), a prescription drug which laboratory tests
suggest might reduce AIDS-related dementia (see AIDS TREATMENT
NEWS #101, April 20, 1990). In both cases, SEARCH ALLIANCE is the
first research group in the U. S. to study these AIDS treatments.

"We cut through red tape and did these studies now -- while
everyone else was just thinking about them; we've demonstrated
what distinguishes SEARCH ALLIANCE from the other AIDS
researchers," according to Board president Paul Rothman, D. O.
"Because SEARCH studies bypass the traditional bureaucracy, they
cost only thousands -- not millions, and take only months -- not
years."

SEARCH ALLIANCE, a nonprofit organization, is raising money
primarily from individual and community donations, rather than
governments and corporations.

For more information, including literature about the
organization and its studies in English or Spanish, contact
SEARCH ALLIANCE, 7461 Beverly Blvd., Suite 304, Los Angeles, CA
90036, 213/930-8820.

Comment

This writer co-founded the Community Research Alliance (now
Project Inform Community Research Alliance -- PICRA) in San
Francisco. Both PICRA and SEARCH ALLIANCE successfully avoided
the danger of focusing on infrastructure and procedure instead of
on research -- a trap which stems from indecision about what
research to conduct. SEARCH ALLIANCE has also been exceptionally
successful in quickly obtaining medical and financial support. It
is well positioned to produce useful treatment information
quickly.

NIAID Answers ACT UP Charges

In April ACT UP/New York published A Critique of the AIDS
Clinical Trials Group (see note in AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #101,
April 20, page 5). On May 16 Anthony Fauci, M. D., Director of the
U. S. National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases,
released a reply, including background on the AIDS Clinical
Trials Group and replies to specific allegations. For a copy of
the NIAID reply to ACT UP, call the AIDS Clinical Trials
Information Service, 800/TRIALS-A.



AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Receives Journalism Awards

by Tim Wilson

John S. James, editor and publisher of AIDS TREATMENT NEWS,
received two journalism awards last month in recognition of his
coverage of AIDS treatments and related issues.

* First Place Award (tie) from the 1990 Newsletter
Association Journalism Awards in the category of Instructional
Reporting (during 1989) for the series on hypericin.

* First Place Award for Health Coverage (during 1989) from
the Gay and Lesbian Press Association and the Media Fund for
Human Rights.

His work with AIDS TREATMENT NEWS had previously received a
1989 Civic Achievement Award from the Bay Area's Gay and Lesbian
Alliance, a 1988 Outstanding Journalist from San Francisco's
Cable Car Awards, and a 1988 Community Service Award from the Bay
Area Physicians for Human Rights.