Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - December 29, 2004
This warning label fits nevirapine, an anti-AIDS drug in wide use in the United States and Africa. There is evidence it cuts mother-to-baby transmission of the AIDS virus by half. But used in heavy doses and over long periods, it can produce liver damage and skin rashes.
Nevirapine's benefits have made it a frontline drug in the AIDS fight, especially in Africa, where its relatively low cost can benefit a large population of infected women. But a disturbing report has raised questions about whether poor records and incompetent research have downplayed the drug's dangers.
Critics' charges, aimed at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, claim a top official ignored doubts by subordinates and rewrote a report giving the drug high marks. At the least, these charges must be investigated.
But serious damage is being done to an essential AIDS drug. Worldwide, there are 38 million people, half of them women of child-bearing age, infected with AIDS.
A sad display of politics has crept into the debate. South Africa's ruling party, which has dragged its feet on fighting AIDS, has used the report to charge that U.S. officials and drugmakers are treating Africans like guinea pigs in order to rev up sales. Major AIDS groups in that country have rightly criticized these overboard charges.
In South Africa and elsewhere, canceling a drug based on one reported problem isn't an option. That's why private AIDS group have announced they will continue to use the drug, which shows demonstrable benefits when used correctly. It's completely understandable and supportable.
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