Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 - Friday, October 17, 1997; 4:32 p.m. EDT
Tara Meyer, Associated Press Writer
The studies are the best way to find a regimen that is practical for a poor region, said Dr. Helene D. Gayle, director of the National Center for HIV, Sexually Transmitted Disease & Tuberculosis Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The cost of the proven AZT regimen is almost $1,000 per pregnant woman. That's 80 times the annual per capita health budget in many countries in the developing world, Ms. Gayle said in a speech to the Associated Press Managing Editors national conference.
Pregnant women with AIDS must learn their HIV status early so they can receive intravenous AZT during labor and delivery. Then, the infant must be given AZT for six weeks.
In the developing world, where more than 1,000 babies a day are infected with HIV from their mothers, women are not often reached early in their prenatal care and intravenous use is not a widespread option.
"These studies are an attempt to evaluate whether a shorter, simpler and more cost-effective regimen of AZT, that does not require AZT through intravenous doses, is safe and effective in reducing perinatal transmission," she said.
Public Citizen, a watchdog group, has blasted the U.S. government's financing of the trials. Last month, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine likened them to the infamous Tuskegee experiment in which penicillin was withheld from black men with syphilis in Alabama.
Ms. Gayle said ethics panels in the United States and in the participating countries reviewed and approved the studies beforehand. There was no such oversight in the Tuskegee studies.
"I think it is important to really understand what Tuskegee was and to not, every time there is an ethical issue, bring out Tuskegee," Ms. Gayle said.
On this continent, she said, the media must focus more on prevention in fighting the AIDS epidemic, especially after both AIDS deaths and new cases of the disease fell in 1996.
A recent media study by the CDC found that of 399 printed articles about HIV, only 8 percent mentioned the relevance of prevention, Ms. Gayle said.
"We know that prevention efforts to date have had a major, major impact on the epidemic," said Ms. Gayle. There were 100,000 new HIV infections each year in the mid-1980s; now the annual figure is about 40,000.
"However, I think it's fair to say that 40,000 new infections with a preventable disease is still by far too many," she said.
Copyright 1997/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
971017
AP971008
Copyright © 1997 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1997. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1997. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .