AIDS drugs released

Health Canada has decided to give five men dying of AIDS – including an Anglican priest – access to new drugs unavailable in Canada that could prolong their lives. Rev. Michael Forshaw, 64, of St. Paul’s church in Vancouver, diocese of New Westminster, last fall announced publicly – with the permission of diocesan bishop Michael Ingham – that he had the disease. On Jan. 12, he and the other men began receiving doses of Belgian-made TMC-114 and TMC-125 under the care of AIDS specialist Dr. Julio Montaner, according to The Globe and Mail newspaper. The group had demanded access to two antiretroviral drugs under a Health Canada program that allows critically-ill patients access to unapproved medication. Initially, Health Canada had barred the drugs, saying they had not been shown to be safe.