AIDS Treatment News No. 011 - August 29, 1986
John S. James

Background on AL 721

AL 721, a form of lecithin derived from egg yolk, has greatly reduced infection of human cells by the AIDS virus in the laboratory. It acts on the membranes of viruses and/or cells, preventing the virus from attaching itself to a receptor site and thereby entering the cell.

In human trials (not with AIDS), AL 721 restored immune functions which had declined with age in the elderly. This result suggests that AL 721 may serve as an immune enhancer, as well as an antiviral.

The researchers who have worked with AL 721 believe it is completely safe. Human and animal tests have shown no problems. And besides, AL 721 consists only of ingredients normally found in food, so it could legally be sold as a nutritional supplement without medical claims. Unfortunately, the license holder decided to gain the necessary government approvals to market AL 721 as a drug, a lengthy process which has already delayed its legal availability almost a year since its potential usefulness for AIDS was known, and which may cause even longer delays in the future.

It is easy to make AL 721 in a laboratory. The document we obtained describes the procedure, apparently to fulfill British government requirements for licensing for human testing. This process involves using potentially hazardous chemicals such as acetone, and could not be done safely by untrained persons.

For more background on AL 721, see two previous articles by this author: "AIDS, AL 721, Lecithin" in the San Francisco Sentinel (July 18, 1986); and "AL 721: Experimental AIDS Treatment" in DAIR Update #2, (April 1986), published by the Documentation of AIDS Issues and Research Foundation. These articles pointed out that the scientific background of AL 721 suggests that ordinary lecithin and egg yolks probably have some of the same pharmaceutical effect. The new information we report here confirms and extends this theory.

The Document

"AL 721: Particulars of Medicinal Product and Clinical Trial", dated December 1985, provides information required under the British "Medicines Act of 1968". It tells what the product is, how to make it, how it works, and what has been learned from human and animal studies. Much of the information is extremely detailed, and much has already been published. Here are some highlights.

* Besides possible antiviral use, AL 721 is also being studied for relieving alcohol and opiate withdrawal symptoms. However, only animal studies have been published to date.

* The proposed AIDS study involved only 11 patients, all with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy but without AIDS/ARC symptoms. The study restricted itself to these patients for several technical reasons. First, those persons at the earlier stage of the disease may have more of the virus than those with more serious symptoms, making it easier to test whether or not the drug works. Their condition was more stable, so there would be less confusion between the effects of the drug and changes in their condition which would have happened anyway. And in principle, antivirals are more likely to be effective early in the infection. However, nothing in the document suggests that AL 721 could not work later; in fact, we have received two anecdotal reports of its effectiveness with AIDS (described below).

* The study design called for giving 10 grams per day of AL 721 to the 11 patients for one month. If benefits were found, it would be given for another month. There was no control group or placebo; the study design was to reject the drug if nobody benefitted, and otherwise study it further.

* The study planned to use "virological, immunological, and clinical criteria" to measure effectiveness. Specifically, it would use reverse transcriptase assay as a measure of viral activity, T-cell counts and skin hypersensitivity as immunological tests, and also clinical condition as another measure of effectiveness.

* Unfortunately, we don't know the results of this study. The document we haves was used to obtain approval for human testing, prior to the study itself.

An AL 721 Substitute

The person who provided the above report also gave us a simple recipe for a substitute to use for now until physicians and patients can get AL 721. We believe this recipe is credible. It is consistent with everything else we know; and it came from a person who also provided the above document, which is not generally available. In addition, it accompanies a written formula for how to make AL 721.

The recipe is simply to mix a heaping tablespoon of good-quality lecithin from a health food store, with one raw egg yolk from which all the white has been removed. (One way to remove the white is to carefully pass the yolk from hand to hand, discarding the white, until the yolk is almost dry. A paper towel may help.) This mixture can be stirred into a glass of water or fruit juice, and taken once or twice a day on an empty stomach. For it to be effective, other fats should not be eaten for at least two hours. We should warn readers that some physicians regard raw foods as unsafe for persons with AIDS, because they may contain bacteria.

Two Testimonials

While the above study only involved persons with lymphadenopathy, we heard of someone with KS who used AL 721 in a drug trial and was convinced taht it saved his life. We have not spoken directly with this person, but heard about the case from Tom Jefferson of Project Inform in San Francisco.

The other testimonial comes from the cover letter which accompanies a formula for how to make AL 721:

I am a PWA. I was desperately ill all of January. By February I was totally disabled and moribund. ...

I have been on the medication for two months. My T4 helper cells have doubled. I feel good. I have gained ten pounds. My friends who are taking it have shown similar good results. ...

If you take the medication morning and evening you can expect a noticeable improvement in your condition within three weeks. The count of T4 helpers will rise slowly over many months.

The formula for making AL 721 which accompanies this letter is identical to that submitted to the British government to gain approval for human testing. Therefore we are convinced that it is authentic.

While we cannot confirm these anonymous testimonials, we decided it was better to publish them than not to. They gave almost all of the information available on human use of AL 721 for AIDS or any related condition.

Conclusion

AL 721 is a serious treatment possibility for AIDS or ARC. It should have been available long ago, especially since the risks are insignificant. Not only is it not sold, but we have no idea when physicians or their patients will be able to get it.

Fortunately, AL 721 is easy to manufacture. We will need medical, legal, political, and other community involvement in order to research and then find ways around the obstacles to its availability.

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