European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. September 21, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 Price of costly aids drug Cut 20% b the Washington Post Washington under intense pressure from aids activists and members of Congress the manufacturer of at agreed monday to Cut the costly aids drug s Price by 20 percent immediately. The action comes Only a month after findings by Federal aids researchers effectively expanded the drug s potential american Market from 20.000 people to 650,000. Those researchers found that taking at Early in the course of an infection could delay the deadly symptoms of aids in Many. Since then. Bur roughs wellcome the manufacturer has been besieged with protests Over its High Cost. The Public and private health providers of this country just could not afford to subsidise a company s profits to Figol this  said Mervyn Silverman. President of the american foundation for aids re search. Despite the overnight explosion of at s Market and the immense profits that will clearly come until monday the company s officials said Only that they would continue to assess the Price Structure of the drug which remains the Only one licensed to treat the aids virus directly. Aids activists have picketed and protested the com Pany s research Triangle n.c., Headquarters since the in Cral findings were announced in August. And last week activists across the country staged highly publicised demonstrations against the company. But after Burrough s representatives met monday with rep. Henry a. Waxman d-calif., chairman of the House subcommittee on health and the Environ ment the company announced that it would Cut the wholesale Price from $1.50 to $1.20 per capsule. That Means that for patients on a currently recommended full dose of the drug the annual Price should fall from $8.000 to $6.400. Although the precise timing and total number of patients remain Uncertain said t. E. Haigler or. Bur rough s president it now appears the number of patients on Rel Rover will be growing Over  Retro Vir  the company s Brand name for at. Many aids patients doctors and increasingly government officials have said that Burroughs has reaped More than its fair share of profits from at. Now that hundreds of thousands of people infected with his the aids virus but not yet visibly sick have been encouraged to take the drug Federal health officials have become alarmed at How much the government might have to pay each year to foot the insurance Bill. Cost estimates Range from $2 billion to $10 billion a year depending on How Many people take the drug and what dosage is used. Recent studies have suggested dosages half As Large As those originally tested May be just As effective for aids patients and that for those who Are infected but not yet sick even smaller and therefore cheaper doses might be useful. But even the most optimistic forecasts suggest that americans will still be paying billions for at in the coming years. Increasingly those who need the drug most arc Black or hispanic poor and uninsured. They arc those least Able to afford it. Subway gunman Goetz ends jail term new York a subway gunman Bernhard Ciocu was released from jail wednesday after serving More than eight months in the shooting of four youths Ona subway train in 1984. Get. Left the Brooklyn Center of detention through a Side door to avoid about 30photographers, reporters and eight camera Crews who were waiting for him by the front  refused to come out the front  said Deputy chief of operations Pete  the release. Correction depart ment spokeswoman Ruby Ryles said a privilege that Gumtz and other inmates have upon being discharged is to be driven to the nearest subway station. Mahn did not say in Boru was taken to the  said Goelz who became some thing of a Folk hero among those who saw him As a Lone individual taking a stand against crime whiled away much of his Lime playing chess with fellow inmates in his 18-cell protective custody  in the Block included convicted child killer Joel Steinberg. Jewish Mili Tant Mordechai Levy and Bensonhurst race attack suspect Joseph . 41. Had been a self employed electronics technician before he was arrested in the dec. 22, 1984, shooting of four teen agers to said were trying to Rob him on a subway near the world Trade by a Shurd Gnit Center when they asked him for $5. The youths claimed they wanted the Money to play video game machines. In june 1987, following a two month trial. Golz. Was cleared of attempted murder and assault but convicted of Ille Gal Possession of the gun he used to shoot the youths. State supreme court Justice Stephen Crane sentenced him to Sis months in jail a $5.000 Fine 250 hours of Community service and ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment. Golz and his lawyers appealed the sentence calling it illegal. The prosecutor. Assistant District attorney Gregory Waples and the slate supreme court s appellate division agreed. The appeals court sent the Case Backoo Crane for risen Lancing. In january. Crane sentenced Goetz to one year. With time olt for Good behaviour he was expected to serve eight months in jail and would have been released two weeks ago but jail guards found a plastic safety a or in his cell and he was ordered to serve 14 Days More As punishment. Goetz said jail officials had Given him a dim razor and he was afraid of getting aids. Ryles said inmates Are Given fresh unused razors every Day. She said he re fused to surrender the a or to guards claiming he was keeping it As evidence and he Drew the extra two weeks in jail. Goetz still faces a multimillion Dollar lawsuit filed by the family of one of his victims Darrell Cabey. Who was left brain damaged and paralysed. House to consider ethics Reform but is undecided on pay hike plan Washington a House speaker Thomas s. Foley d-wash., wednesday said the House would con Sider an ethics Reform package this fall but look no position on a task Force s tentative plan to raise congressional pay 35 percent Over two years. Foley said the task Force has not presented the House leadership with its preliminary recommendation which a con Gressional source said also includes a proposal to phase out controversial Hon or aria payments. All recent attempts to Reform House ethics rules have included a pay increase along with Reform of the Honor aria system. Asked if the House would still consider an ethics Reform package this year Foley said i think we will consider an ethics package this  the proposal would increase pay by about 10 percent next year another 25 percent in 1991 and lie pay boosts afterwards to the Cost of living the source said tuesday night speaking on Condi Tion of anonymity. The final recommendation of the 10 Mcm bar bipartisan task Force is expected to be presented to congressional leaders this week. The proposal is subject to change and is expected to go before the full House by the end of october. House and Senate members currently arc paid $89,500 annually and leaders arc paid More. A 35 percent increase would make the salary $120,825. A key part of the new plan would be a two year phaseout of Honor aria fees for making speeches often to organizations lobbying for legislation. House members now May keep Honor aria total ing 30 percent of their pay. While the limit for senators is 40 percent. The proposal also would eliminate a pro vision in current Law allowing House Mem Bers who were in office by january 1980 to convert excess Campaign Money to person Al use. The task Force has not decided when that proposed change should take effect according to the source. The plan also would lighten disclosure requirements for receipt of gifts. The task Force reportedly is considering Sev eral proposals to allow outside earned income other than Honor aria including the possibility of letting members keep 15 percent of their outside earnings. Former House speaker Jim Wright d Texas established the task Force earlier this year after lawmakers suffered through their latest bitter feud Over a pay increase. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader led what became a Public outcry against a plan to raise lawmakers salaries by 51 percent a raise that could have gone into effect without a vote if Congress had gone along with the recommendations of a presidential pay commission and for Mer president Reagan. Wright sought to save part of the raise by having the House vote on a 30 per cent increase that would have been offset by a phaseout of Honor aria but the Louse rejected such a plan. The congressional watchdog group common cause and other organizations have called repeatedly for an end to Hon or aria which usually is a $2,000 per appearance fee for lawmakers who Are invited to speak to groups that have an interest in legislation. Critics say the fees too often amount to a Reward just for showing up some times at conventions at Plush resorts for which the member s expenses arc picked up by the sponsors. Backers of a raise say members have not taken Cost of living increases in re cent years and need a substantial in crease to catch up with inflation. King friends link Holiday super bowl Phoenix a backers of Holiday to Honor assassinated civil rights Leader Martin Luther King or. Arc hoping the Prospect of super bowl can succeed where convention Boycotts and bad publicity failed. Without a Holiday there is Little Chance in Arizona for a super bowl House minority Leader Art Hamilton a Democrat who leads the pro Holiday forces said monday. Bill Shoecr a newspaper executive who Heads the Booster group Phoenix 93. Agreed. We feel sure if we Don t have a King Holiday we won t be on level playing Field for the 93 super bowl said Shoecr director of Community and corporate services for Phoenix newspapers inc., pub Lishers of the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix Gazette. The Issue was to be discussed wednesday As pan of a special ses Sion in the state legislature on prison crowding drugs and eco nomic development. And Bot sides arc already squirming. If we fail again the frustration level. Will Rise Hamilton said. But Senate president Bob us danc a Republican who wants the Issue referred to a general election ballot said the Bill is not appropriate for a special session. You Don t need controversy in a special session he said. The Republican controlled House has voted for a King holi Day in he past but conservative Senate republicans have Defeated the proposal. The fight has been going on for years. Then democratic nov Bruce Babbitt about to launch a presidential Campaign and frustrated by Lack of Progress on the King Issue signed an executive proclamation in 1986 giving state employees the Day off. Republican state attorney Gen eral Bob Corbin declared that Bab Bitt lacked authority to Issue Suchan order however. Babbitt s Suc Cessor. Republican Evan Mcchamp rescinded the proclamation. Mcchamp also said he did not believe that King deserved a holi Day and civil rights groups launched a Boycott of the state As a convention sin