ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parallel Track Letters Due July 20

Public comments are due by July 20 on the proposed "parallel
track" system to allow earlier access to experimental treatments,
for patients who cannot participate in clinical trials and have
no other treatment options. (For background on the parallel
track proposal, see AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #104, June 1, 1990.) It
has taken over a year for this proposal to wind its way through
government offices (NIAID director Anthony Fauci, M. D., called
for this system on June 23 of last year), and it is very
important that it now be adopted.

All letters on the parallel track are public information,
available to anyone who goes to the office in Washington (you can
write anonymously if you must keep your HIV status confidential).
Since the letters are public even before the comment period has
ended, we asked Garey Lambert, an investigative AIDS reporter for
The Baltimore Alternative, to check what responses had already
come in so that we could report the current status of the public
comments to the community.

When Mr. Lambert checked on July 6, 180 comments had been
received by the AIDS Program Office; about 80 percent of them
were form letters distributed by Mobilization Against AIDS. All
the letters received supported the parallel track -- a few with
reservations -- and many included suggestions for improvement.
Reservations/suggestions included:

* Opening the program to persons with other life-threatening
illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer's, not just AIDS.

* Making it easier for public clinics to use parallel-track
drugs, by allowing the clinics to qualify as organizations, so
that they can enroll patients who cannot afford private
physicians and do not see the same physician on every visit.

* Randomizing drug doses, to allow scientific efficacy
information to be obtained from the program.

* Allow patients otherwise eligible to enter the program if
they fail the standard treatments -- without requiring that they
also fail experimental therapies under the "treatment IND. "

What is important is to begin the program by accepting the
proposal which is now on the table. All of the suggested
improvements can be made later -- often withoug any formal change
in the rules.

Donald Abrams, M. D., submitted a survey of members of the
Community Consortium -- an organization of physicians and other
health-care providers who treat most persons with HIV in the San
Francisco area. Of the 38 who responded, 95 percent supported
the parallel track concept.

Despite the overwhelming support so far, acceptance of the
program is far from certain. Opposition is expected, and many
people seem to have waited until after the Sixth International
Conference to write their letters. It is especially important
that the National AIDS Program Office hear from physicians and
other health professionals, from organizations, and from persons
with HIV who do not have access to clinical trials due to medical
ineligibility or because there are no trials in their area.

Send comments to: Parallel Track Policy, National AIDS
Program Office, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Room 738-G,
Washington, DC 20201. For more information, call Dr. Valerie
Satlow or Donald Pohl at 202/472-4248.



ACT UP/New York Publishes AIDS Treatment Research Agenda

ACT UP/New York's Treatment and Data Committee released its
June 1990 AIDS Treatment Research Agenda at the Sixth
International Conference on AIDS in San Francisco. This
excellent 27-page document surveys what is and is not happening
in AIDS research, what must be done to improve it, and how you
can help. It combines ideas from leading scientists on how to
design better trials with real-world insights on overcoming
recruitment problems by designing trials that people want and
need. It names over 100 important experimental drugs, with the
highest priority ones listed separately.

To obtain a copy, write to ACT UP/New York, 496-A Hudson
St., Suite G4, New York, NY 10014, phone 212/989-1114. There is
no charge, but a contribution would be appreciated.



AIDS in Prison: Meeting July 18, Washington DC

A one-day Institute, "HIV/AIDS Education & Health Concerns
for Incarcerated Populations," will take place July 18 in
Washington, DC. Sponsors include Action AIDS-Philadelphia, ACLU
National Prison Project, National Lawyers' Guild AIDS Network,
Prison AIDS Education Program of Philadelphia Department of
Health, and others.

This Institute is part of the pre-registration program of
the 12th National and 3rd International Lesbian and Gay Health
Conference and the 8th National AIDS Forum, which runs from July
18-22; the conference theme this year is Developing Stronger
Networks. Registration is $55 for the Institute only, $25 with
registration for the gay health conference. The meeting will be
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut
Avenue NW.

For more information on the Institute, call Paul Albert,
415/824-8884 or Judy Greenspan, 202/331-0500. To register for
the Institute or for the entire conference, call 202/994-4285.



California: State Budget Cuts Threaten AIDS Programs

A budget crisis in Sacramento threatens AIDS and other
health programs funded by the State of California. The problem
stems from an unexpected shortfall in State revenue, plus a
governor consistently unsympathetic to AIDS and other health
service programs.

At this time we do not know which programs are in danger,
and we do not have a single contact number for persons who want
to help. We suggest that California residents willing to work on
this issue contact their AIDS organizations for the most current
information. You can also call Governor Deukmejian's office,
916/445-2841, to register opposition to cutbacks in AIDS and
other health care.



San Francisco: Women and HIV Forum, July 23

On Monday, July 23 a panel of AIDS researchers, community
activists, and women living with HIV will provide information
about clinical trials and women. Panelists include Dr. Sandra
Hernandez, director, AIDS office San Francisco; Dr. Eric Goosby,
San Francisco General Hospital; Kim Corsaro, Project Inform; Dr.
Toby Dyner, Community Consortium; Dr. Rebecca Coleman, SFGH AIDS
Clinical Trials Group; Shirley Gross, Bayview-Hunters Point
Foundation (moderator); and Catherine Maier, San Francisco AIDS
Foundation (moderator).

The program is from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Women's
Building. It is wheelchair accessible; you can arrange
transportation and childcare by calling 415/564-8958.

For more information about the program, call the Community
Consortium's Community Coordinator, 415/821-3144.



San Francisco: Conference Abstracts at Healing Alternatives
Library

A complete set of the scientific abstracts published by the
Sixth International Conference on AIDS is available at the
Healing Alternatives Foundation library in San Francisco.
Healing Alternatives is located at 1748 Market Street (near
Valencia); call 415/626-4053 for hours or other information.



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.