The Role of Drugs in AIDS

1/10/93 Ms. No. T1867

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severe muscle atrophy is observed in 6-8% (55, 71, 105, 106) and lymphoma in
9% per year (67). AZT is mutagenic and carcinogenic in animals (98, 107) and
transforms cells in vitro as effectively as methylcholanthrene (108). AZT
toxicity varies a great deal with the subject treated, perhaps due to differences
in kinases involved in its uptake and in AZT metabolism (99, 108, 109). No
benefits were observed in large (110) and small (111) numbers of patients after
six months on AZT. Within 48 weeks on AZT 172 (56%) out of 308 AIDS
patients developed one or more new AIDS diseases including pneumonia
and candidiasis (104) suggests that AZT induced AIDS diseases.
The only controlled study of its therapeutic effects on typical male
AIDS patients, sponsored by its manufacturers, claims AZT provides shortterm benefits and "can decrease mortality" (54, 55). After an average of 18
weeks on AZT 1 out of 145 patients died, whereas 19 died in the placebo group
of 137. Further the T-cell count of the AZT group doubled from 4-8 weeks but
dropped to pretreatment levels within 12 weeks. However 66 (46%) in the
AZT group suffered from severe nausea, and 30 (21%) from severe anemia
requiring multiple transfusions, compared to 25 and 4 in the placebo group.
Since possibly 30 additional deaths would have occured without multiple
transfusions in the AZT group, the claim of "decreased mortality" is not
realistic. The study is further compromised by the failure to record and to
consider the recreational drug use histories, and the many treatment
adjustments of the patients (112). The brief AZT-induced gain of T-cells may
reflect compensatory hemopoiesis and random killing of pathogenic parasites
(109) and the influence of concomitant medication (55).
Surprisingly, long-term studies of AZT in animals compatible with
human applications have not been published (99). In view of the inevitable
toxicity of AZT, its popularity as anti-HIV drug can only be explained by the