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In a briefing note, Lord Glenarthur wrote that the UK HTLV-3 screening test developed by Dr Weiss and Dr Tedder was regarded as more sensitive, specific, and possibly more reliable than other tests available in the US.

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Abbott, Litton, DuPont, Travenol-Genetech Diagnostics and Electronuecelonics were selected by the US Public Health Service to develop tests for AIDS and were provided with Dr Gallo's cell line.

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A test for HTLV-3 antibodies produced by Abbott was licensed for use by the Food and Drug Administration in the US. National implementation was expected within 2-6 weeks.

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Very quickly after the Gallo tests became available, a number of European countries and Australia announced the start of universal screening of blood donations.

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Lord Glenarthur decided the cost of AIDS screening should be met from the existing budgets of regional health authorities. Lord Glenarthur was also briefed that there were numerous medical and ethical implications of such testing which were due to be examined by a working group on AIDS.

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Lord Glenarthur queried whether all blood was being screened for AIDS and asked when the UK would be able to do this.

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An article titled "Panic and the blood" was published in The Guardian, which argued that the UK's response to the AIDS crisis was too slow.

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When Dr Acheson became Chief Medical Officer, he decided the implications of HIV/AIDS were serious and that he should seek expert advice as soon as possible.

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Matters escalated in the year between Dr Acheson's appointment as Chief Medical Officer and Lord Glenarthur's query as to whether all blood was being screened for AIDS.

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Lord Glenarthur's query as to when the UK would be able to screen all blood for AIDS came after he had received no further briefing on the issue since an initial note on 31 August.

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Kenneth Clarke, as Minister of State for Health, did not think spending £2 million on AIDS screening would be cost effective and that the money would be better spent elsewhere.

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Scottish Home and Health Department representatives observed a meeting organised by the Department of Health and Social Security to discuss AIDS and the transfusion services.

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Dr Cash wrote to Dr Bell to express his dismay at the Department of Health and Social Security and the National Blood Transfusion Service regarding HIV screening.

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The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service were preparing to pursue their own evaluation unilaterally in the absence of a uniform UK approach.

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Dr Tedder and Dr Weiss repeatedly emphasised their concern about antibody positive samples as potentially infective.

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Dr Brian McClelland stated in regards to his overview of screening tests: "I can get no clear picture of when or how a serviceable assay will be provided."

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The regional transfusion directors described the meeting of the Advisory Committee on the National Blood Transfusion Service Working Group on AIDS as "unproductive", there was "no new leaflet, no finance and no positive move towards full donor screening."

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The Blood Products Laboratory had been discounted as serious contenders for the task of an RIA test.

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There was an agreement in a Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service directors meeting "to test all donors once an antibody test was available."

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The Blood Products Laboratory did not have expertise in propagating retroviruses and Professor Weiss believed they would need to seek collaboration to produce a mass-use anti-HTLV-3 RIA.

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