The treatment of urinary tract infections is discussed. Specific issues considered include the definition of asymptomatic bacteriuria, the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria, the controversies of who should be treated, and antimicrobial treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria. (MLW)

Observers say the research effort to develop drugs to combat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is increasingly well-funded but badly coordinated, with many universities not willing or not able to pull their weight. (MSE)

The opportunities for clinical research in meeting the needs of the aging (provision of pharmaceutical services for the elderly, pharmacotherapeutics in the elderly, and pharmaceutical aspects of health and illness behaviors of the elderly) are appropriate and realistic activities for pharmacists that should contribute to achieving research…

A discussion of clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry describes typical processes and administrative issues, then presents a case in which a foreign pharmaceutical company negotiated with a university for sponsorship of a multicenter clinical trial of a new drug therapy. Problems and important considerations in clinical trials are…

Clinical trials and access to therapeutic drugs pose dilemmas for researchers, physicians, and AIDS patients. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recognizing the need for greater access to drugs by a broader spectrum of the infected population, is establishing the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS. (Author/MLW)