When Doctors and Patients Decide to Test the Far Limits of Treatment

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

When Doctors and Patients Decide to Test the Far Limits of Treatment

New York Times (12/19/95) P. C3
Altman, Lawrence K.

As the fifteenth anniversary of the discovery of AIDS approaches, doctors and patients are increasingly frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for the disease. As a result, they are collaborating with their patients to test the limits of experimental treatment. One of the most dramatic recent examples is that of AIDS activist and patient Jeff Getty, who has volunteered to undergo a baboon marrow transplant in the hopes of prolonging his life. Getty himself worked with researchers from the University of California at San Francisco and the University of Pittsburgh in developing the treatment. Karen Heit, executive officer of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences noted, "At times, AIDS activists have been in the driver's seat, saying what was needed in the way of prevention." Stephen Deeks, a principal investigator in the experiment, said Getty would persist in his commitment to the project because "clearly the AIDS community wants us not just to be trying new types of AZT, but doing more innovative, bolder, riskier things." However, critics contend that frustration does not justify the risks involved and criticize Getty's doctors for proceeding to human trials too quickly.

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