News Release

New database on HIV/AIDS to focus on real-world treatment outcomes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of California - San Francisco

A new HIV/AIDS database being developed at UC San Francisco is designed to serve as a centralized location for real-world treatment outcomes and as a resource for the international medical community in treating HIV disease. The system is named HIVWatch. The UCSF Positive Health Program based at San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center is acting as the initial test and development site for the database, in cooperation with the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

From the pilot project, the UCSF team has determined the rate of increase in CD4 cells and the reduction in viral load among its patients.

James O. Kahn, MD, associate director of the UCSF Positive Health Program, presented these and other findings at the recent Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that took place in San Francisco.

"Preliminary data demonstrate that overall our patients at San Francisco General are experiencing increases in their CD4 cells over the levels of a few years ago. We also are seeing an increase in CD4 cells among patients at their first clinic meeting, " Kahn said.

"This may indicate that people are coming into care early when medications are particularly helpful. The viral load is stable in our patients. Further analysis will help determine why we are not seeing a reduction in viral load to match the increase in CD4 cells," he said.

Data taken from the population of UCSF Positive Health patients at San Francisco General shows:

--Between July 1995 and November 1998, more than 12,000 unique patients were seen.

--Prior to introduction in 1996 of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), patients had an average CD4 cell count of 296. With HAART, the CD4 cell count increased to an average of 383.

"Information like this is valuable for tracking trends related to HIV disease and improving treatment strategies. There has long been a need for a definitive clinical database like HIVWatch . As a resource, it is expected to provide community-based physicians with improved insight into the advantages and disadvantages of particular treatment options available to their patients," said Kahn, who also serves as director of the pilot project.

At present, the database has information provided by UCSF. All data is presented in aggregate form, and no individual patient information is provided in order to protect patient confidentiality. Ultimately AIDS treatment centers from around the world are expected to contribute patient, pharmacy, laboratory, clinical, and treatment-outcome data into the system.

The system will be funded on a long-term basis by an unrestricted educational grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb, a pharmaceutical company involved in developing AIDS therapies.

UCSF data being provided to HIVWatch as part of the pilot project will be available soon on the Internet through HIV InSite at http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu.

HIV Insite is a project of the UCSF Positive Health Program and the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, both of which are programs of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute.

###

For more information on Bristol-Myers Squibb, contact Patricia Doykos Duquette at 609/897-3077. Bristol-Myers Squibb is a diversified worldwide health and personal care company with principal businesses in pharmaceuticals, consumer medicines, beauty care, nutrition products, and medical devices. It produces therapies for cardiovascular, metabolic and infectious diseases, central nervous system and dermatological disorders, and cancer.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.