Following the Announcement by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand and the CDC of Results from their Mother-to-Child Transmission Trial

APR.27.1998 12:07PM OGILVY PR WORLDWIDE NO.912 P.10

JOINT STATEMENT BY
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
(CDC), THE JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON
HIVIAIDS (UNAIDS), THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF
HEALTH (NIH), AND THE AGENCE NATIONALE DE
RECHERCHE SUR LE SIDA (ANRS)
FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH OF
THAILAND AND THE CDC OF RESULTS FROM THEIR MOTHER.TO.CHILD
TRANSMISSION TRIAL
UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL: 10.00hrs EST (15.00 GMT)
Atlanta, February 18, 1998
CONTACT:
UNAIDS, Geneva: Anne Winter ([phone]
UNAIDS, New York: Karen O'Malley ([phone]
NIH: Pat Randall (+ 1 301) 496 5717
ANRS: Helene Pollard (+33 1) 53,94 60 33
CC: Terry Hammond ([phone]
Today's announcement by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that a simplified regimen of
zidovudine (AZT) can reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV marks an
important step forward in international efforts to develop interventions that can be
broadly and safely implemented and which, more specifically, can respond to the
requirements of many developing countries.
The Thailand trial results show that a simplified AZT regimen can be well-tolerated and
is effective in significantly lowering perinatal transmission from HIV-infected women
who are not breastfeeding.
The ANRS, CDC, NIH, and UNAIDS are already sharing the data with their
collaborators, and have recommended to the principal investigators of clinical trials
currently sponsored by these agencies that placebo arms be dropped or replaced with
the COG short-course regimen.
I
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