News & Notes

Kaposi's Sarcoma Clinical Trial

A total of 200 individuals with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma are needed to participate in a clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of a new cancer drug that can be self-administered as nose drops. The multinational Phase III randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study of IM862 (developed by Cytran, Inc., of Kirkland, Washington) is being conducted in collaboration with the AIDS Malignancy Consortium of the National Cancer Institute. Trial sites in the United States are New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Cleveland, Baltimore, Columbus, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Nashville, and Newark; international cities are Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Brussels, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Research has shown that tumors rely on the development of new blood vessels to grow, a process called angiogenesis. Anti-angiogenesis drugs halt the growth of new blood vessels, starving the tumors. Preclinical data suggest that IM862 has multiple mechanisms of action, including angiogenesis inhibition and stimulation of the body's immune system to attack the tumor.

Participants will be randomized to receive either IM862 or placebo and will self-administer treatments by placing a few drops of IM862 or placebo into the nose every other day. They will be seen every four weeks for evaluation of response and toxicity. Eligibility criteria include: HIV infection, biopsy-proven KS with five or more measurable lesions, minimum eight weeks on stable antiretroviral therapy, and no symptomatic visceral disease. Study duration is six months. Participants on placebo who experience disease progression, or those who have stable disease at the end of the study, will be offered continued IM862 treatment; those who have responded to the first six months of treatment may continue on blinded treatment.

Information on the study, study sites, and enrollment criteria is available at the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service, www.actis.org, keyword "IM862," or by calling (800) 818-0980.

GLMA Names New Officials

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, at its 18th annual conference, held in Vancouver in early August, named the individuals who will run the organization during the coming year:

• Saul Levin, M.D., President of Access Consulting International of Washington, D.C., was tapped to serve as President of GLMA. He has served as special expert to the Department of Health and Human Services in both the Bush and Clinton Administrations.
• Suzanne Haynes, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for Science in the Office on Women's Health in the DHHS, was named President of GLMA's Lesbian Health Fund.
• New Jersey neurosurgeon Allen H. Maniker, M.D., was appointed to GLMA's Board of Directors.
• New York City medical student Peter Chien, Jr., was named student representative to the Board of Directors.

GLMA represents the interests of over 70,000 LGBT physicians and medical students, and millions of LGBT patients, throughout North America.

Right To Keep Pets

A booklet called Best Friends for Life asserts that the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act can be used even by sighted persons with nontraditional disabilities and little mobility impairment to keep pets in rental, condo/coop, and publicly subsidized housing. It argues that the Act covers even otherwise "no-pets" buildings, even for those who merely assert the need for companion animals to battle "depression."

The booklet includes extensive citations of statutes and regulations and a model letter for an individual to have her or his physician write to claim pet-keeping rights from a landlord. It is available for $1.50 postage from the Doris Day Animal League, 227 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20002; (202) 546-1761; www.ddal.org.

Online Tool for GLBT Voters

On July 31, the national Gay and Lesbian Task Force unveiled a comprehensive online tool for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered voters and their allies in the upcoming national, state, and local elections.

Elections Center 2000, www.ngltf.org/elections, assembles vital information and resources for voters who care about GLBT and progressive issues.

• public statements and voting records of the four leading presidential candidates;
• vice-presidential contenders' backgrounds on GLBT issues;
• highlights of the Democratic, Green, Reform, and Republican Parties' platforms;
• first-ever projections of the size of the 2000 GLBT vote in key states;
• overviews of crucial state and local ballot measures;
• analysis of the next president's role with the U.S. Supreme Court; and
• recommendations for legislation and progressive policy.

Because NGLTF does not make endorsements of parties or candidates, Elections Center 2000 promises to provide detailed and accurate information about all the major candidates and parties. Visitors to the site can return throughout the electoral season for updated information and new features.

Elections Center 2000 is the latest addition to NGLTF's website, which was relaunched in May so as better to meet the needs of activists and policymakers at the state, local, and national levels. Visitors to the site can gather facts about issues from hate violence to same-sex marriage; learn about legislation pending in their state legislatures; preview the 2000 Creating Change Conference (November 9-13 in Atlanta); and examine the research of the NGLTF Policy Institute.