Health Group Attacks U.S. Double Standard on HIV Research: Crucial Data Ignored in Justifying Placebo Studies

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the U.S. Indeed, both studies being conducted in the U.S. provide AZT or similar drugs for all
women.
The article presents a previously unpublished analysis of data from the 1994 placebo-controlled
study which established the standard AZT treatment for reducing mother-to-infant HI
transmission. This analysis suggests that shorter regimens of AZT treatment may be as effective as
longer ones. This makes it very likely that the shorter regimens are more effetive than a placebo,
undermining any ethical basis for the trials. "Those who gave the go-ahead for the unethical
placebo trials appear to have missed or ignored these vital data. These findings undermine the
rationale for continuing these lethal experiments," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, co-author of the article
and Director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group.
"These studies, despite the fact that most are being funded by Western governments, deny women
access to the kind of effective treatment that has been available for several years in developed
countries. Comparing the shorter regimen to nothing (a placebo) is the wrong comparison and
needlessly places patients' lives at risk. Instead, the shorter regimens should be compared with a
treatment similar to the AZT regimen already proved effective," said Lurie.
Some of those defending the placebo studies suggest that experiments should only meet the
standard of care offered in the developing countries. The article strongly rejects this double
standard: "Residents of impoverished, postcolonial countries, the majority of whom are people of
color, must be protected from potential exploitation in research. Otherwise, the abominable state
of health care in these countries can be used to justify studies that could never pass ethical muster
in the sponsoring country," it saysThe authors urge that future studies should adhere to a single international ethical standard that
does not discriminate between patients' countries of residence. "Tragically, for the hundreds of
infants who have needlessly contracted HIV infection in the perinatal-transmission studies that
have already been completed, any such protection will have come too late," the article concludes.