ïliM U
news
Those changes have "caused
omestic AIDS programs
concerns
among state HIV/AIDS
got none of the necessary
directors," wrote Democratic Leader
increases in funding when
Nancy Pelosi of California, Deputy
the U.S. Senate voted on
Meanwhile, House Democrats protest tightened CDC review of prevention materials Leader Steny Hover of Maryland
the appropriations hill
and Henrv Waxman of California,
Sept. 10. It. marked the end ot hroad
by Bob R oehr
__________
____________ _
the ranking member of the commit
bipartisan support tor AIDS programs in
tee, to Health Secretary Tommy
general and the AIDS Drug Assistance
Thomp>son in their Sept. 11 letter.
Program in particular that had survived tor more
Terje Anderson,
Under guidelines established in 1992,
than a decade.
National Associa
after long discussion, local Program
Sen. Charles Schumer. D-N.Y., ottered an tion ot People with
Review Panels screen materials for their
amendment to the House/Labor Health and AIDS
executive
appropriateness for rhe targeted audience.
Human Services appropriations hill that would director, said the
The panels also must make sure they com
have added $2148 million to ADAP. It was Senate has heard
ply with a federal law requiring that they
mled out ot order hy the chair because it would this from its con-
are not “designed to promote or encourage,
exceed discretionary spending caps already set bv stituents “but refus
directly, homosexual or heterosexual activ
to
increase
the Senate. A motion to overrule the chair was es
ity or intravenous substance abuse"; point
ADAP and Ryan
defeated by a largely party-line vote ot 44-5 3.
out the harmful effects of such activities;
Sen. Richard Durbin. D-lll., ottered an White CARE Act
and address rhe benefits of abstaining from
amendment to increase funding tor internation funding bv even the
all of them.
al AIDS efforts, and that was defeated in a sim $100 million that
rhe president pro
The authors charged that rhe CDC has
ilar manner.
"The crisis started building two vears ago and posed.” He was
added another layer of bureaucracy by
requiring “a certification that accountable
now i> in lull bloom," said Jules Levin, executive “extremely disap
director ot the National AIDS Treatment pointed."
state or U>cal health officials indejvndently
review" the materials. The terminology of
David Munar, AIDS funding amendments proposed bv Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer of
Advocacy Project. “ADAP has been underfund
ed, and states have been unable to continue pro AIDS Foundation New York (left) and Richard Durbin of Illinois were defeated in partv-line votes the requirement is not defined, and the
viding access to HIV treatment at the same lev of Chicago associ
CDC is offering no additional hinds for the
els as before.”
ate director, lamented, “The Senate is honestly Senate meet in conference to resolve differ added burden at a time when most states face a
Many states have made it harder to qualify considering giving the Bush administration an ences between the two versions ot the appro severe budget crunch.
They asked Thompson to reconsider the
t< >r the program; cut back on the number ot additional $87 billion tor a questionable war and priations bill.
On the other side ot the Capitol, three rank changes and “to make any future changes only
drugs that are covered or delayed adding newly foreign occupation but can’t seem to find a wav
approved drugs; or established waiting lists. to make $400 million available to care tor its ing Democrats in the U.S. House ot Representa after thorough analysis and full consultation
tives have written the Bush administration with the stakeholder groups and Congress." JH
Three HIV-positive people recently died while own citizens in need.”
i 'ii an ADAP waiting list in West Virginia, and
AIDS advocates hold out a small glimmer ot protesting changes in the way that HIV preven
i estimated 1,200 people will be on those lists hope that they will be able to get at least some tion materials are reviewed bv the Centers tor Dis- ROB R oehr is a free-lance reporter based in
Washington, D . C .
Kv the end of the year.
ot the necessary money when the House anil ease Control and Prevention prior to their use.
AIDS F unding S tagnates
T
&
by the U.S. military so that each retains its indi
ational Institute of Allergy and
vidual identity and strengths but is conducting
Infectious Diseases director
research to common standards and operating
Anthony Fauci called for “a
procedures.
moral commitment...to a vision
Perhaps the most expensive element of
and a strategic plan to help Conference envisions HIV vaccine research by Bob R oehr
research is the ability to conduct Phase III clin
iccelerate the development of an HIV vaccine"
n his plenary address to the AIDS Vaccine and identifying and meeting human and physi
Many people both within and outside the ical trials that prove a vaccine works. The
research community believe HIV vaccine National Institutes of Health are working with
,003 conference held in New York City from cal infrastructure needs.
^ p t. 18 to 21.
Participation in the Enterprise “is not by sub research has been fragmented and disjointed. • academic and organizational partners in devel
The concepts of what has become known as scription, it is by community," said Jose Esparza, Work in the lab and in monkey studies bas been oping countries to create that capacity.
"Industry is an absolutely essential partner"
rhe “Global Enterprise" were first launched in director of HIV vaccine activities with the done to differing standards and has used differ
ent assays or measuring tools, making it often for Fauci, and “taking away some of the risk" tor
in article last June in the magazine Science by World Health Organization.
wo dozen authors, including Fauci. Further dis-
“The real challenge is to change our behav impossible to compare the results and reach industry in this area is part of NlH’s mandate.
ussion ensued at an August meeting in Airlie, ior,” added Larry Corey, a University of Wash broader conclusions. “We have these clinical But he also made clear, “If they want to utilize
/a., and during the next six months working ington researcher who is principal investigator networks—lets make sure these trials are com the many facilities that we have, we would like
roups will develop a strategic plan for the for the international HIV Vaccine Trials Net patible with each other so that we don’t waste them to do it in a way that the knowledge that
is gained is going to be helpful to the field."
Enterprise.
work, which is supported financially by the time and resources," Fauci said.
“A trial could fail to get you a vaccine," he
The National Institute of Allergy and Infec
Fauci said key principles are a commitment National Institutes of Health.
to working together as a global community; “to
Fauci called developing an HIV vaccine “clear tious Diseases received a mandate from Health explained, "but it could allow you to leam a lot
ensure transparency and systematic communica ly the most important and indeed the most diffi Secretary Tommy Thompson to coordinate all about what you arc going to do" in future itera
tions platfonus”; common laboratory standards cult and problematic challenge in AIDS research." HIV vaccine research funded by the U.S. gov tions. “That is why transparency and harmo
to allow comparability between efforts and their In searching for correlates of protection, “We are ernment. It now is coordinating efforts by the nization and common laboratory parameters are
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and so important." JH
integration into the larger scheme of research; looking for something that isn’t there."
N
G lobal E nterprise
N ext A ùventure
P ortlands A lt € rmati 'J€ S porting G o o d i 9 tor €
® 1 ?
i>[i in ap te & (Hommes]
\