AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #211, November 18,1994
John S. James
Earlier this month researchers at the NCI published a detailed report of their laboratory findings with this drug (Franco Lori, M.D., and others, "Hydroxyurea as an Inhibitor of Human Immunodeficiency Virus--Type 1 Replication," Science, November 4, 1994, pages 801-805). THE NEW YORK TIMES interviewed Dr. Lori and published an article on November 8. The published articles are based only on laboratory studies; almost nothing has been done in the last year and a half to follow up the laboratory work with a clinical trial. A small trial has been approved by the FDA but not started because of lack of funding; another small trial has started in France.
AIDS TREATMENT NEWS is now trying to find out about clinical experience with hydroxyurea as an anti-HIV treatment. So far we have detailed reports of only two patients, both of whom had large drops in viral load; we have heard indirectly about others. Physicians have been reluctant to prescribe the drug, which can cause serious but reversible suppression of the white blood count, until trials have studied its safety and activity in persons with HIV.
If you know of anyone we should talk to about effects of hydroxyurea in HIV disease, let us know immediately at 800/873-2812. We hope to get this article into the next issue, which goes to press on November 29.
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