European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday. March 24, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 3 Side effects of aids drug stir controversy new York Dpi the drug at has offered the first Ray of Hope for prolonging the lives of aids patients but the severity of in tide effects appears to be worse than originally claimed some doctors say. As Many As half the patients taking at the first aids Annj approved Tor prescription Sale May suffer Adverse effects that could Force them to discontinue treatment or undergo blood transfusions every 10 Days to every month doctors say. Rep. Ted Weiss  said saturday the food and drug administration should not have approved he drug for marketing last week without knowing More about who it helps and who it harms. Weiss said he expects to hold hearings on whether the Fra May be using aids to further its Agenda for deregulation of drugs before their effectiveness is proven. He also questioned unaudited statements about the Cost of anti development and said free distribution of at for research and compassionate use should have been continued until the drug is better understood. Fra approval loosens restrictions on the drug s distribution allowing the manufacturer Burroughs Well come to begin charging each patient up to $ 10,000 for a year s Supply. Wall Street analysts have projected that at will double Burroughs wellcome s total revenues by the end of the 1990s. The Fra based its approval of the drug on studies in which 34 percent of patients taking at had to reduce dosages and get blood transfusions or discontinue treatment said Kathy Bank Cut spokeswoman for Burroughs wellcome co of research Triangle Park no. But those reports were based on the first six months of clinical trials with the antiviral drug begun last february on 282 patients. Burroughs wellcome and the National cancer Institute which sponsored the swim a an  Rott Movw to Ota. An Man w on Lute ii twi trials have not released new data since september in the preliminary studies Al clinics around the United states a statistically significant number of patients who suffered an aids related pneumonia were kept alive longer with at or  than those who received no treatment. Scientists emphasize that at does not cure aids. But the drug can cause headaches nausea and most troublesome suppress Bone marrow production of White and red blood cells. Or. Arthur englard of St. Luke Roosevelt medical Center in new York said about 50 percent of his patients were forced off the drug or required frequent blood transfusions some have required transfusions every week and a half to a month said englard who now has Only 14 of an original 25 patients still on at some have suffered no ill effects at  said the physician who noted that in spite of possible prob lems his clinic has started at treatment with 23 More patients there is no other drug to put them  he said. Al san Francisco general Hospital healthier arc and aids patients arc tolerating at bulk a but half of those in the primary clinical trial from last Spring had to drop out said the unit s protocol administrator about one fourth arc doing Fine and another fourth arc touching it out said the administrator who declined to be identified. Transfusion needs with at have been so pronounced that the Irwin memorial blood Bank which supplies the City of san Francisco and surrounding counties projects a 5 percent increase in demand for blood this year said spokeswoman Sylvia Ramirez. Or. Samuel Brodur who led the National cancer Institute team thai studied the drug acknowledges that much remains unknown but he defended at As the Best known treatment. He cited better survival rates improved weight blood and neurological functions and lower Levels of aids viral proteins in people on the drug. Even if everyone can t draw benefits there is no question some get the Benefit of prolonged survival with at he said. But both Broder and Burroughs wellcome refused comment on whether fewer patients Are tolerating the drug than expected saying they Are awaiting Publica Tion of further data. Studying the trends in aids appt Wio British social services Secretary nor Man Fowler right Speaks to aids experts attending a conference in Lon Don monday with Fowler is prof. Francis o Grady the conference chairman. World health organization scientists along with German Swiss american and British experts will try to determine trends toe aids epidemic in Britain will Lake. Of advised to reverse decision on g-5b ports Washington a the air Force could save millions of dollars by reversing decision that prevents the use of spare parts built for the original c-5a cargo plane in the newest Model of the transport the c 5 a a Pentagon audit says the audit performed by the Penta gon s Independent inspector general concluded the air Force changed its buy ing procedures for c-5b spare parts last Panl due to an apparent misguided con Cern Over maintenance procedures for the new plane. Officials at the service s air logistics Center in san Antonio Texas decided that in most cases the projected reliability of cab items was belter than Cor responding c-sa1 items and hence spare parts for the two planes should not be mixed the audit states. The idea was to avoid using older spare pans that might undercut the de sign improvements in the new c-5b, the auditors said. Under the decision 258 of 259 c-5a spare parts that originally were considered interchangeable were banned for use on the newer plane. A detailed review of 18 Sample items by the auditors showed however that "13 a a items had enough similarity and reliability to support the cab air Craft without significant loss of performance or degradation of the system of those items sampled the auditors estimated about $6.8 million of procurements could be avoided by classifying the a a items As two Way interchangeable with the corresponding c-5b  using statistical projections we Esti mated that 123.3 million of procurements for Iso of the 259 c-5b parts could be avoided by taking these  making matters worse the auditors added Lockheed corp. The plane s prime contractor never changed its own internal classification of the spare parts As interchangeable. It concluded that procurement of the relevant c-5b spare and repair parts should be stopped until a technical assessment is  according to an addendum to the re port the air Force has responded with a letter accepting the thrust of the  the service has refused to Slop All Pur chases of new c-5b parts but has agreed to scale Back its orders until a technical evaluation is Mode of each  search turns up no Trace of missing guard Jet Crew March fab Calif. A a search sunday failed to find any sign of two air National guard members missing since their Jet disappeared from radar while crossing rugged Mountain terrain the Day before. The search by civilian and military planes and helicopters was scheduled to resume monday in the san Bernardino National Forest said maj. Steve Mensik base spokesman. Winds gusting up to so Mph kept tight planes and helicopters from getting close to the ground Minsik said. There s a lot of Little canyons and such out there and they need to get Down Low to do a thorough search Mensik said the names and hometowns of the crewmen from the f-4c fighter bomber were being withheld. Both were on week end training with the California air National guard s 163rd tac fighter group at March fab 60 Miles Southeast of los Angeles