AEGiS-AP: Family Of Woman Killed By Trial HIV Drug Sues Glaxo

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Family Of Woman Killed By Trial HIV Drug Sues Glaxo

Associated Press - December 29, 2004

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The family of a pregnant woman who died while taking experimental AIDS drugs to protect her baby from getting the disease is suing the doctors, drug makers and hospitals involved in the study for $10 million.

Joyce Ann Hafford's mother and sister allege in the suit filed Tuesday that doctors continued to give Hafford the drug regimen despite signs of liver failure. The suit also claims doctors didn't warn the 33-year-old HIV-positive woman of the trial's dangers.

"She trusted doctors to treat her, and they failed her," said Rubbie King, Hafford's sister.

A spokeswoman at Regional Medical Center at Memphis, where Hafford was treated, said hospital policy prevented them from commenting on the suit.

Family members said they did not learn the National Institutes of Health had concluded the drug therapy most likely caused Hafford's death until The Associated Press obtained copies of the case file this month.

For the past year, family members believed Hafford died from AIDS complications.

NIH officials quickly suspected the drug regimen because it included nevirapine, an antiretroviral AIDS drug known to cause liver problems. Hafford's death in August 2003, less than 72 hours after her son Sterling was born prematurely, halted the federal government research program of nevirapine.

Hafford learned she was HIV-positive when she became pregnant in spring 2003, and shortly after started the NIH-funded clinical trial of the drugs Combivir and nevirapine, also known as Viramune, hoping to block transmission to her son.

The baby was born HIV-negative.

The family first filed a wrongful death suit in June, but withdrew it in September because lawyers felt they didn't have enough evidence.

Among the defendants named in the suit are several doctors and nurses who treated Hafford, the Regional Medical Center and drug makers GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

A message at British manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline's American offices said they were closed for the holidays. Boehringer Ingelheim is based in Ridgefield, Conn.

041229
AP041271

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, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. 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, 2004. 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. .