Activists to End Vigil Calling for New AIDS Drug

A 26-day encampment by AIDS activists on a traffic island in a busy West Hollywood intersection is scheduled to end today, organizers said Sunday.

The decision followed an announcement last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it has agreed in principle to demands by AIDS activists for widespread distribution of an antiviral drug called DDI (dideoxyinosine), which is being tested for use with AIDS patients, said Wayne Karr, an organizer of the Coalition for Compassion.

The protesters want the federal government to allow use of the drug while clinical tests are in progress.

About 40 people marked the end of the vigil with a “closing party” on Sunday evening. The event, which was held on the grass-covered traffic island at Santa Monica and Crescent Heights Boulevards, included singing, dancing and speeches.

Organizers thanked area residents and merchants for their support during the vigil, which began Aug. 10. During the encampment, the protesters pitched tents and handed out AIDS information to passers-by.

The group also thanked the West Hollywood City Council for sanctioning the use of the traffic island for the vigil, and the West Hollywood sheriff’s substation for providing a foot patrol as security for the campers.

“We are in a holding pattern right now,” Karr said.

“We are watching the federal government and the pharmaceutical company groups to see what kind of policy they come up with,” he continued. “If they don’t live up to what they have set out, we are ready to pounce.”

Last week, the FDA named a local AIDS activist to serve on the committee that will determine the future of DDI and other experimental drugs.