E-DRUG: AZT trials in developing countries

["Dr. Elena Yu, Ph.D., MPH" <eyu@mail.sdsu.edu>]

E-DRUG: AZT trials in developing countries (contd.)
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I have two questions which I hope someone could help me:

(1) Aside from going on MEDLINE, can somone point me to some 
succinctly written documentation as to which of the 15-some AZT 
trials going on in Africa are in which phases? (Phase I, Phase II, 
Phase III, or Phase IV trials).

(2) If we rule out cost, is there any scientific reason why the 
"lose-dose" short treatment of AZT which David Ho spoke about in his 
Time Magazine opinion piece (Sept 29, 1997) cannot be compared to a 
"standard" (since 1994) AZT treatment? Experimentation with lowered 
dosages of drugs have occurred in the past.  The oral contraceptives 
are an example.  Assuming the cost is not an issue, is there any 
scientific reasons why a low-dose could not be compared to the "full 
treatment"?  Would there be an ethical problem doing such a clinical 
trial (omitting the placebo group)?

Thank you.

Elena Yu, Ph.D., MPH
Professor
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics 
Graduate School of Public Health
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182
Phone: (619) 594-2711
Fax:   (619) 594-6112
e-mail: eyu@mail.sdsu.edu

Note from the moderator:
------------------------
Dr. David Ho, an expert in AIDS/HIV was one of the two members of the
editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine who resigned
last week because of disagreement with the editorial which 
accompanied the article by Drs. Peter Lurie and Sidney Wolfe referred 
to earlier in E-DRUG.

Syed Rizwanuddin Ahmad

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