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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2005)
January Z. 2005 * jlttt Mltj 15 rTíwrrmñews W ashington T ransitions Got financial questions? Get answers. Health secretary nominee questionable; AIDS leader steps down; RNC gets its first gay member by Bob Roehr • Comprehensive Financial Planning • Retirement Planning • Life & Disability Insurance’ • Estate Tax Analysis • College Savings Plans • Mutual Funds Investing • IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollovers • Tax Advantaged Investments • Long Term Care Insurance’ ' Offered through arrangements with nsucanre rompanies he nomination of Michael Leavitt to be the next health secretary is making queer and AIDS advocates apprehensive. It is primarily because he is seen as a Bush loyalist without much of a positive record on their issues. As governor of Utah, Leavitt cut funding for Medicaid and pushed for waivers that consoli dated federal support into bloc grants. Medicaid pays for a large share of the services for people living with HIV. There is concern 'V.vw.li that similar reorganization at the national level might adversely affect AIDS programs. “His position on significant les bian and gay issues calls into ques tion his ability to fairly address the health care concerns of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender Americans,” said Kathleen DeBold, executive director of the Mautner Project, a national les bian health organization. Utahns don’t share those fears. “Mike is not a right-wing conservative by any stretch of the imagination; he’s a moderate Republican,” Democratic state Rep. Jackie Biskupski told The Washington Blade. She is the first openly queer elected official in Utah. Community advocates are urging the Senate to closely question Leavitt on his ability to meet the health needs of the sexual minorities com munity. U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., is likely to take rhe lead in those efforts because of his seniority on the committee conducting the confirmation hearing. T The clinic is one of the largest AIDS services organizations in the country. Baker’s annual contract was up, and he cited personal reasons for not seeking its renewal. He is HIV-positive and in gcxxl health, but his T-cell count has declined from 450 to 10 during the past year. He will take some personal time before seeking less stressful work. The past several years have been difficult ones for AIDS services organizations as they face declining private and govern ment support while the caseload continues to grow. Baker previously served as executive director of the Nation al Association of People with AIDS and in the office of AIDS at the Department of Health and Human Services under President George H.W. Bush. While at Whitman-Walker, Baker played a leadership role in the National Coalition for LGBT Health and served on various advisory committees to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ob Kabel, 58, has been elected chairman of the D.C. Republican Party, making him the first openly gay or lesbian person to sit on the 165-member Republican National Committee. The longtime political insider worked for U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-lnd., prior to a three-year stint in the legislative liaison office of the Reagan White House. Since then he as worked as a lobbyist. Kabel serves on the national board of Log ornelius Baker is stepping down as execu Cabin Republicans, which he chaired for several tive director of the Whitman-Walker Clin years. He will step down from that board to ic, a position he has held for the past five years. devote his attention to the new position. in B C H ard to S wallow Drug trials scrutinize single daily pill for HIV single pill once a day to treat HIV is the goal set by two drug compa nies that have agreed to collabo rate. It may be on the market within two years. Bristol-Myers Squibb produces Sustiva, rec ommended in most treatment guidelines as part of a preferred initial therapy. It is in the class of drugs known as non-nudeoside reverse tran scriptase inhibitors. Gilead Sciences produces Viread and Emtriva, two popular and potent second-generation drugs in the reverse transcriptase inhibitor class. They also may be used as part of an initial regimen. The combination of these three dnigs has been used in thousands of patients with gcxxJ results. However, a new round of trials will be required to demonstrate that packing them all into the same pill results in the same therapeu tic effect with no additional side effects. It is the first time two companies have agreed to collaborate to produce a single anti HIV pill that contains multiple drugs. Success is not assured. Several years ago Merck created Trizavir, a combination of AZT, 3tc and abacavir—three A .WADDELL l<SrREED Financial Services* Call Anne today. 503.238.6036 «uw \ ■ 500 Northeast Multnomah Street • Suite 278 • Portland, OR 97232 503-238-7056 FAX • Toll Free 888-892*9049 • anneseelye@wradvisers.com NNE SEELYE F inancial A dvisor ■ Injured? Cal I m Free Consultation No Fee Unless You Recover Hala Gores, P.C. Attorney at Law 503/295-1940 12th Floor, 621 SW Morrison Portland Integrity. l’< »R I I AND ARI A BUSINESS ASSOCIATION sa«« Experience &Jiesults Proudly serving our community since 1989 in personal injury claims including: • Auto & Motorcyle Accidents • Bicycle & Pedestrian Accidents ■ • Medical Malpractice • Wrongful Death • Defective Products • Insurance Claims You Deserve Full Compensation for: • Pain & Suffering • Medical Expenses • Lost Earnings • Property Damage • Car Rental S a by Bob Roehr drugs in the reverse transcriptase inhibitor class. It hoped that the single pill might become a standard treatment. But a clinical trial was stopped early in 2003 when it became apparent that Trizavir was not as effective in controlling HIV as combining drugs from two different classes. Trizavir is rec ommended for use only in combination with another class of anti-retroviral drug. Kaletra is another possible single dnig ther apy. It combines the protease inhibitor lopinavir with a subtherapeutic dose of the pro tease inhibitor ritonavir to keep it in the bkxxl- stream longer. A pilot trial at a Houston clinic has demonstrated promising results, and the man ufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, is backing full- scale clinical trials of this use. Kaletra is approved for use only in combination with other drugs. Some industry analysts see the Bristol- Myers/Gilead alliance in developing their combination single pill as a defensive move to protect their market share against the ease of use of Kaletra, should it be approved for single drug use. 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