IMPORTANT PROGRESS ON AIDS

Scientists from Britain's Medical Research Council are reporting that a new AIDS treatment lowers death rates by nearly 40 percent. "It's a very important development," says medical writer Christine Gorman. "It is not a cure, but it is clearly a way for people stay alive longer. Scientists are finding that combining drugs is a very effective way to treat some very serious diseases, like AIDS and cancer." The treatment, which combines the drugs AZT and either DDI or DDC, was tested on some 3,000 patients in Europe and Australia.