Politics and AIDS Research

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Politics and AIDS Research

Washington Post (10/26/93) P. A16

The editors of the Washington Post offer some criticism of Congress for its slow response concerning clinical testing of the controversial AIDS vaccine gp160. About this time last year, they recall, Congress appropriated $20 million for the Department of Defense to conduct accelerated tests of the drug, although the usual preliminary work had not been completed or evaluated. Leaders in AIDS research, specifically the scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, had not requested authority for accelerated tests; in fact, they objected to the drug not only because they had not been consulted, but because they doubted that gp160 was any more promising than a host of similar drugs that had not warranted fast-track testing. Conceding to these objections, Congress mandated that if the NIH director, FDA commissioner, and secretary of defense all were against the tests, they wouldn't be conducted. They did all agree, as did the White House AIDS Office and some AIDS advocacy groups, say the editors. Despite this overwhelming rejection of accelerated testing of gp160, the Senate chose not to act. If rerouted, the $20 million would go to the general AIDS research budget of the Defense Department. Decisions on which drugs warrant testing and which are safe and effective should be made by scientists, not legislators and lobbyists, asserts the Post. The editors note that the experts concur on the issue of gp160, and contend that Congress should respect their recommendations.

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