January 5, 1999

Clinical trials for Rebetron, Schering-Plough's treatment for hepatitis C, illustrate the ethical questions that arise in tests of experimental drugs, including what obligations the pharmaceutical companies have to the patients they recruit and what obligations those patients have to science, to future patients who may be helped by research and to the company that may profit from it; Gail Ogden, who is three months into the 48-week trial, is very unhappy that data on her viral load is being withheld from her and her doctor; photo (M)

New York Philharmonic music director Kurt Masur to lead Philharmonic on his first United States tour, beginning Jan 5 in Palm Desert, Calif; some of Philharmonic's past foreign tours noted; National Academy Museum, on Fifth Avenue and 89th Street, will hold exhibition to give significant exposure to its trove of works on paper; photo; New Sacristy Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, containing some of most splendid works of sculpture by Michelangelo, is closed after large chunk of marble falls to floor from column under roof; New Year for those who observe Julian calendar falls on Jan 13, a festive occasion in Russia; observance at Radio City Music Hall noted (M)

Senior American officials say US is ready to let more people and more money flow to Cuba, but they reject fundamental review of US policy toward Cuba; moves will let Cuban citizens receive millions more dollars from American friends and family members, allow them to buy more American food and medicine, permit more direct flights between two countries, renew direct mail service from US and let Baltimore Orioles and Cuban national baseball team play ball in March; Sec of State Madeleine K Albright formally recommends steps to Pres Clinton, and White House is expected to announce them on Jan 5; Administration officials say forthcoming report from Council on Foreign Relations helped to shape their new proposals (M)

Cincinnati, Ohio, is prospering, drawing professionals to companies that are expanding or putting new operations there; jobs are multiplying at nearly 3 percent annual rate, on strong side for cities its size; midsize American cities reflect strengths that have sustained American economy in 1990's and, more recently, kept growing in face of economic turmoil abroad; corporate America has found in these cities fertile ground for service sector job creation that has played so big a role in current expansion; graphs; photos (M)

A Pre-emptive I.M.F. The I.M.F., criticized for how it has handled crises from Southeast Asia to Russia, is discussing a major overhaul that could permit it to intervene directly in national economies before they get into trouble. Page A8.