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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1997)
ju s t ou« ▼ fo b ru ary 2 1 . 1 9 9 7 T I S REASONS FOR HOPE V iral L oad T ests A vailable For individuals who do not have health cover age that pays for viral load tests and cannot afford to pay for them, Roche Diagnostics, the makers o f the Amplicor PCR test, has a program which may enable you to access coverage for the tests or to get them free. There are, however, limitations on the number o f free tests the company gives away in any particular month. To apply, you or your doctor should call 1-888-837-8727. IV/AIDS R emember to R efrigerate R itonavir The protease inhibitor ritonavir, marketed by Abbott Laboratories under the trade name Norvir, must be kept refrigerated to retain its potency. The liquid form may be left unrefrigerated for up to 8 hours, however the more popular capsules should always be kept cold. W hile most users of ritonavir have kept this in m ind, there are concerns about a small number of phar m acies w here o rd e rs for ritonavir, once filled, are left unrefrigerated in out baskets while awaiting pickup. If this happens, you should refuse that bottle and ask for a re frigerated one. If you or your p h arm acist has particular;: questions about a bottle left;:; unrefrigerated, you may call Abbott at 1-800-441-4987. W hile most pharmacists un derstand the importance o f keeping such a product cold, it can ’t hurt to remind the pharmacy to keep it refrigerated when you call in your order. P rotease E xpanded A ccess for A dults Agouron Pharmaceuticals, the m aker o f the new protease inhibitor nelfinavir (trade name Viracept), has been busy with announcements since it applied for FDA approval. W hen Agouron originally announced its expanded access pro gram in October, it was viewed as too restrictive by most treatment advocates. Among the recent announcements are new guidelines for the pro gram. Any HIV-positive adult who has ever had a T-cell test under 100 (cells per cubic millimeter) and who is unable to take indinavir (Crixivan) and/or ritonavir (Norvir) will be eligible to re ceive nelfinavir without charge. This applies to people who have an intolerance for either of these products or who have previously failed one or both o f them. Information on this Viracept Ex panded Access Program is available by calling 1-800-621-7111. This is a significant im provem ent over the original program, which only applied to individu als who tested under 50 T cells and who could not take any o f the three already approved protease inhibitors. P rotease I nhibitor for C hildren A vailable A nother A gouron announcem ent concerned the oral pow der form ulation o f nelfinavir for children, w hich can be m ixed w ith m ilk, fo r m ula or soft foods. It is being offered free o f charge to any H IV -positive child betw een the ages o f 2 and 13 from now until the product is approved for m arketing. For inform ation on this Pediatric Expanded Access Program , call 1-800-621-7111. C urrently there are no p ro tease inhibitors approved for pediatric use, how ever, early studies have indicated that nelfinavir is safe and w ell-tolerated in children. P relim i nary results o f a pediatric study were announced at the 4th Annual R etrovirology C onference held in W ashington, D.C., in January and will be reported in the next “Reasons for Hope” column. Gas, Electric Oil, Heat Pumps Air Conditioning Hot Water Heaters ^ Agouron has also announced that nelfinavir will be tested in a clinical trial for people with fewer than 100 T cells conducted by the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS. The trial is considered consumer friendly because it has no inferior therapies where participants might get an antiviral or antiviral combination not up to current standards. This trial will randomly assign partici pants to receive either nelfinavir plus nucleoside analogues or ritonavir plus nucleoside analogues. The trial o f 1,300 participants will last for one year. F o r e n ro llm e n t and site in fo rm atio n , call 1-800-TRIALS-A (1-800-874-2572). People who are unable to take saquinavir (In verase) are eligible : : : for tfoe trial, but those who cannot take either indinavir (C rix iv a n ) o r rito n a v ir (Norvir) are not eligible, and should instead consider the Expanded Access Program discussed above. Residential & Commercial Heating & Cooling p<n o ff tfom deatinÿ & cooling tteeeU Service, Maintenace, Installations, Replacements ( 503 ) 253-1006 C onsumer -F riendly P rotease I nhibitor T rial J email ktidy@aol Licensed & Bonded CCB# 118028 Fax# (503) 255-5528 Left side, third shelf from the bottom. California Closets creates custom-designed solutions for vour closets, home office and more. Call now for a free in-home consultation: 646-3466 CALIFORNIA , CLOSETS. A Place For Everything W ashington Square Showroom (across from Newport Bay) 01996 California Closet Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Each Franchise Independently Owned And Operated. N ucleotide A nalogue T rial Another type of trial con sidered consumer friendly in volves allowing participants to continue to use their normal regimen o f anti retrovirals while being randomly assigned either to add another product or a placebo. One such trial, sponsored by Gilead Sciences, tests a new type o f product known as a nucleotide analogue. Nucleotide analogues are similar to nucleoside analogues (or nukes) such as AZT or ddl, but these drugs have been further processed. The particular product in this trial, known as GS 840 (adefovir dipivoxil), has only lowered viral loads by modest amounts, but so far has not had any resistant strains of the virus emerge. Adding it to an already powerful combination may prove use ful. People with 200 T cells or more are eligible for this trial. Another study o f GS 840, which will evaluate its impact on CMV, is open to individu als with fewer than 100 T cells. For information about enrollment and sites for either study, call 1-800-TRIALS-A (1-800-874-2572). ‘S alk I mmunogen ’ T rial The therapeutic vaccine Remune (commonly known as the Salk HIV Vaccine) is also in a trial which allows participants to continue to use their desired anti-retroviral combination while being randomly assigned to either receive Remune or a placebo. Individuals who have never had an AIDS- related opportunistic infection and whose T-cell count is between 300 and 549 are eligible for the trial. For information on sites and enrollment, call 1 -800-684-8624. Those not eligible for the trial may ask about an open-label protocol. The data on Remune, while positive, has not been over whelming. However the logic o f attempting to increase some forms of HIV 1-specific immunity has a solid basis. 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