Announcements

** Gp160 Vaccine Trial for Asymptomatic HIV-Positive:
Baltimore, Nashville, St. Louis

A one-year phase I trial, sponsored by the U. S. National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will test a
therapeutic vaccine manufactured by Immuno AG, a company
headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Volunteers must be
asymptomatic, ages 16-60, with a T-helper count greater than 600.
At least 40 percent of the volunteers accepted will be women.

The vaccine is a genetically engineered (recombinant) gp160
(a protein of the AIDS virus). This vaccine differs from others
in that it is produced in a mammalian cell line, instead of
insect or other cells; therefore the protein better matches the
shape of the gp160 made by native HIV. The same vaccine is
already being studied in HIV-negative volunteers. A related
vaccine has succeeded in protecting chimpanzees against HIV
infection; it also induced a strong immune response in two
chimpanzees who had previously been infected.

Note: the requirement of a T-helper count above 600 does
not mean that the vaccine will only work for persons in that
range. This requirement probably reflects the ethical problem of
running such a trial in volunteers with T-helper counts under
500, since AZT would be indicated for some of them, and such
treatment, if allowed, would complicate the trial.

For information on how to volunteer, please contact one of the
following:

Bill Wilson, Johns Hopkins University Center for Immunization
Research, Baltimore, 301/955-4345.

Lois Wagner, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 615/343-2437.

Carol Berry, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis,
314/577-8648 (women and hemophiliacs only).

Michael Klebert, Washington University School of Medicine, St.
Louis, 314/454-0058 (may be already filled for men).

** MAC (MAI) Treatment Trial at NIH: Sparfloxacin,
Azithromycin

Persons with MAC bacteremia but who are in a relatively
stable condition and are able to travel to the U. S. National
Institutes of Health, near Washington, D. C., may be eligible for
a trial which will randomly assign sparfloxacin, azithromycin, or
the combination of these drugs for MAC treatment. All volunteers
receive treatment (there is no placebo), and all medication is
taken orally. Study visits will be weekly for one month, every
two weeks for the next eight weeks, and then monthly. Volunteers
will be followed as long as possible.

Those who fail any treatment arm may receive a four-drug
combination consisting of sparfloxacin, azithromycin,
clofazimine, and ethambutol. Part of the purpose of the study is
to test this regimen.

For more information, contact either Martha Larson, R. N.,
800/772-5464 x311, or Barbara Baird, R. N., same phone number
x420.

** U. S. Hearing on "Unconventional Medical Practices,"
June 17 and 18, Bethesda, Maryland

The Office of the Associate Director for Science Policy and
Legislation, at the U. S. National Institutes of Health, will
hold a public meeting on unconventional medical practices, from 9
a.m. until 5 p. m., in conference room 10, building 31C, sixth
floor, on the NIH campus, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda,
Maryland. "The purpose of this meeting is to convene a working
group on unconventional medical practices and to receive public
testimony from individuals and organizations interested in the
subject of research and validation of unconventional or
alternative medical practices." The entire meeting is open to
the public; attendance may be limited by space available.

The first day will be panel discussions, and planning for a
larger meeting in the Fall. Public comment is scheduled for the
second day.

Persons wishing to make a presentation should contact the
office below by June 8, and include a one-page summary of their
presentation.

Written requests to participate should be sent to: Stephen
C. Groft, Pharm. D., Office of Science Policy and Legislation,
National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 1,
Room 218, Bethesda, MD 20892. For more information, call
301/402-2466.