Poison by prescription: the AZT story

194 Pages·1990·3.069 MB·English

by  John Lauritsen , foreword by Peter Duesberg.

POISONB Y
PRESCRIPTION
TheA ZTS tory
ByJ ohnL auritsen
ForewboyrP de tDeure sberg
ASKLEPIOS
York
New
1990
POISONB YP RESCRIPTITOhNe:A ZTS tory
byJ ohnL auritsen
ForewobrydP eteDru esberg
PublisbhyeA dS KLEPIOS/Pagan Press.
Copyricg 1h9t9 0/19b9y2J ohnL auritsen
Alrli ghrtess erved.
Printientd h eU SA.
FourPtrhi ntiNnogv:e mbe1r9 92
Correspondreengcaer dtihnigbs o oks houlbde d irectteod:
JohnL aurit2s6eS nt,M. a rkP'lsa cNee,w YorCki t1y0 003.
JohnL auritsneenw' sb ook,T he
AIDSW ar,w ilble publishbeyd
Asklepeiaorsl iyn1 993.
Ifn ota vailaibnla e convenibeonotk stoPrOeI,S ONB Y
PRESCRIPTIcOaNnb e orderfeodr $ 12( postpfariodm)t he
authaotrt hea bovaed dress.
LibraorfCy o ngreCsast alCoagr dN o.9 0-81328
ISBN0 -943742-06-4
Dedicatteotd h "eA IDSD isside-ntwsh"o
daretdo s peaoku td urinange pidemoiflc i es:
jadA dams WalteGri lbert Charles Ortleb
Hansueli CliGfofo dman NeenyaOhs trom
Albonico BeverGlryi ffin GerarPdo llender
MaxA llen Groupf otrh e PositiHveeallyt hy
LaurenBcaed gley Scientific Projektgruppe
Michael Reappraoifs al AIDS-Kritik,
Baumgartner theH IV-AIDS Gesamtdeutsche
HarveByi aly Hypohtesis Initiative
EdwarBdr echer H.E.A.L. jonR appaport
TonyB rown johnH ammond NickR egush
Frank AlbertH assig RoberRto ot-
Buianouckas NickHyi rsch Bernstein
AllaBnu rns Neville HarrRyu bin
MichaeCla llen Hodgkinson S.A.A.O.
MikeC hapelle RoberHto ffman (Netherlands)
Richaarndd Bilaln dC laudia RuthS ackman
Rosalind Holub CaspeSrc hmidt
Chirimuuta DrewH opkins PeteSrc hmidt
SeymouCro hen GuidoH orner KawiS chneider
AndrewC ort Colemajno nes RusseSlclh och
HarrCiosu lter HeinriKcrhe mer Craig
BryaCno yle lisLea as Schoonmaker
johnC rewdson MichaeLla nge josepShc hwartz
MichaeClu lbert RoberLta arhovn joaSnh enton
jonD amski NatL ehrman joseph
LuigDie Marchi KatiLee ishman Sonnabend
BriaDne er Anthony Tom Steele
OlaD eraker Liversidge GordoSnt ewart
jameDs' Eramo BrucLei vesey johnS cythes
PeteDru esberg CasMsa nn Michael Verney-
ElenEil eopolis StuaMratr shall Elliott
BryaEnl lison Clemmer ErikWae iss
MichaeEll lner MayhewI ll HankW ilson
CeliFaa rber PatriMcekr la MichaeWli lson
GeneF edorko KarMyu llis ianY oung
GiuliaFneor rieri RogeMru ller
FabiFor anchi EhrhaNretu bert ..a.n dt hem any
RonG ans GaryN ull otheIrm sa yh ave
BenG ardiner LukeO lmstead overlooked.
TheG reekg od omfed icinAes,ke lpiohsa,d two
daguhterwhso syimzbodel thet wo complmeentaar­sy
pectso f them edicaalr tP:an akeisay mboilzde the
knolwdegeo fd rugdser viedf orm the eartfhor ma nd
pla;n tHsygeai,t hed octritnhea t wtahyet oh ealitsh
toa voiedx cessanedst ol viea ccrodintgot hel awosf
resaon.( eRneD ubos,M anA dapitng)
Ast hec hiflorlm thep osionw asr eahcign higsor in,
Sorcats eunocverehdi sf ace(o frh e hadc overiedt )
ands ai-d theywe reh isls atw ord-s "Criot,w e
shouolfdf ear c ockt oA skleopsi.W ilylo ur emeemr?b"
"Iw illd o it," saiCdr ito;" Itshe rea ntyhinegl se?
•
Therew asn o relpy,an dt hne theb odym ove.d The
attenduannoctv erehdi m.W e sawt hatt hee yewse re
set,a ndCr io tcleodst heey easn dm ouht.
Andt hatE,c ehcrast,e wtahse w ayo ur comrade
deid. I canh onsetlsya yt,h aotf a ltlh em enI have
knowni no ur timeh,ew as tbhraev seta,n dt hew iesst,
and tmhosevt i rotusu.( lPtaoP,h aedo)
C O N TE NT S
Forewdo r 7
Itnorduciton 9
I. POISOBNY P RECSRIPTIOTNH:E A ZTS TORY 1 1
II.A ZTO NT RIAL 25
IllT.H EE PIDEOMLIOGOY FF EAR 48
IV. ONT HEA ZTF RONT:P ATR ONE 59
v. ONT HEA ZTF RONT:P ATR TWO 71
VI. AZTA NDC ANECR 87
VII.BU RROUGHSW ELLOCME ISSUESA DVSIORY 104
VIIIU..S C.U TSA ZTD OSE INH ALF 1 14
IX. AZTF OR HEALP ETOHPLYE 1 1 7
X. A "TSATEO FT HEA RT"A ZTC ONFERECNE 123
XI. INTVEIREWWIT HP ETEDRUE SBGE R(1897)1 40
XII.KA NGAORO COURTE TIOGLYO 143
XIIII.N TVEIREWWIT HP ETEDRUE SBGE R(1990) 1 69
XVI. CIONMPETECNEI NA IDESP IDOELMOIGY 173
AppednixN:e wY orNka tei Avrticles 1 84
Idnex 1 88
Illutsartiosn
CoveorfN ew YorNka tiev,1 Jnue1 987 6
Photorgapohf P etreD usebeg r 142
Photorgapohf H aryr Rubin 150
Photorgapohf fasikldee 160
Graph:A IDISn icdenBcye" iRks Groups" 1 76
AIDS.
AZT isn ota curef or
AZT'sa llegbeedn efiartes not
backeudpb yh ard daatna,dare not
sufficienttoc ompensaftoetr h e
dru'gsk nownt oxicities.
AIDS
Recoveryfr om wilclo mefro m
strengthetnhiebn ogd y,
notp oisoniitng.
Do
notta ke,p rescribe, or
..
recommend AZT.
I
- JohnLau ritse(nR1 4)
FOREOWRD 7
Foreword
TheD NAc haitne rnmatiorA ZTw asd egsniedo ver
twnetyy erasa gof ort het eramtento fl eukemiIat.s
aniteluekmicm ecahnims ofa citoni st o kilglor wing
lmyphotceysb y termionna otfi DNA synhtess.i How­
ever,s icneA ZTf aid lteop orlontgh elv ieso fl uekmeic
animasl,i tw asn ota ccteepdf or canccerhe mohterapy.
In1 987i tw asa prpovetdo terats ymptaotmiacn d
asymptomiacct arrioefrH sI Vt oc uer orp revenAtI DS,
basedo n theh ypothse tshita HIVc asuesA IDS.O ne
yearl ater,1 98i8nt, h ed esignoefrA sZ Tr ecveeida
Nobeplr izfeor medicinaelo,tu hght hee rwasn o evi­
dencteht aA ZTw oulcdur eo rp revenAtI DS.
Ther ationalAeZ Tto hefar pyi ss impliefn, o t
naei:vt her ertoviruHsI Vd epenodns DNA sytnhess i
form ultiicpaltiaonndA, ZTt erminaDteNAs sytnhess.i
ThuAs ZTs holuds toAp IDSi,fA IDSwe rec asuedb y
HIVa,n di fH IVw erem ultiinpgld uyrign AIDS.Y et
thee riss itlnlo poroff ort hen ow sixye ra-olhdyp o­
thess tihta HIVc asuesA IDS.M orevoerm,a nys tudies
showt hatn om oret haonn ei n1 ,000 lmyphotceysa re
ever feicdnt eby HIV- -eveni np eolped yinfgor m
AID.S SniceA ZTc anont ditsignuihs betweena n in­
fectaendd a nu nnifecdt ceell,9 99u nnifecdt ceellsm uts
be kieldl to kiljlut s onHeI Vi-ncftede cell.T his
meantsh ta AZT, aa tser atemnt fAoIrD Sh,a sa very
hgih toixictyi dne.x Inv iewo f th,i sthee risn o
ratioenxapll aonnao tfih owA ZTc oludb eb eniecfitaol
AIDpSa tise,en vteinf H IVw eer porven ctaosu eA IDS.
Therei sa wlaysa smalclh ancfeo ra nu nrpdeictable
effe,c tam iarcle,ev eni ns ciencIef.A ZTw eer to
pervenotr c ureA IDSde spei tthef acttsh atth ev ir­us
AIDSh ypothesiissu ngorundeda ndt hta HIVd oes not
makeD NA durign AIDSi,tw ouldb e sucha miralce.
Unfourtnateltyh ee ris veltrityl reo omf or am iarcle
witAh ZT,be casuei tmse cahnmi sofa citoni ss oe m­
bararssincglleya nra,m eltyot allnoysn pceifitcem rin-a
8 POISOBNY EPSRCRIPOTNI:T HEA ZTS TORY
toin of DNA sytnhess.i Onec oludb e lcukyw ith
miralc-eaniAt-IDSf uncitosn ofd rugwsho sem ecahnism
ofa citoni sp oorluyn dsetroosdu,c ahs a spiroiren v,e n
chkiecns oup- buth ardlyw itah substantcheta isa
chaitne rimantoorf lmyphcoyteD NA sytnhesiinsa
peronsa rleaddyef iicneti nl myphcoytes.
Iti sc onceaibvlteh ta AZTm ayp orvidseh otr-rtem
benietfasg iants AIDtSo a peronsw itahc utmei corbial
inefcotnisl kiet ubceurolssi,p neuonmiac,a ndiiadsoirs
hepres,s nicet hee sdsiesaesa rec aldl AeIDSi fH IV
antoidbyi sp resnet,b y kilnligt hee smicobrse togheetr
withh ostc ell. sHowevre,s uchif necitosn coludb e
conrtolledm uchb ettewri tcho fnrime,d speicfitch ea­r
peuticsn wtihtah rtahnemd loyt oixcA ZT.
Theu tliamtej ugde ofa hypothess likiet hev ir­us
AIDSh ypothesiissi tsu seflunesisnt ermosf threa­
petuicb enietfasn dp reventionT.h ev ir-AuIsDSh ypo­
thess hiasn ots topptehde s preaodf A IDSi,th asn ot
savead s ingAlIeD Sp atnit,e and iista boutto c erate
50,000n ewo nes- then ubmero f pleeoc puernrlty
beingt eratewdi tAh ZT.W hatevesrl igchlta iAmZsT
onceh adi nb einugse flu agiansAtI DS- have been
•A ZTed'b y johnL auirtenss' 'oPsion by Perscroinp:t i
TheA ZTS toyr'.
PeteDru ebserg
Porfseosro fM olceulBaoirl ogy
UnievrsiotfCy a loirfniBaek,re yl e
Apr1i9l9 0
INTORDUCTOIN 9
Itnroduction
Thea uthoarrnii atmind-seotf our tmiesd emasn d
credentsi.a Ilt is ennogouht to aelvtueaa mans'
argmuento n itmse rittsh:e qiutoyaf lh iesv indceea nd
resaoinng.I t oibsila gtortyo k nowb y whta lciense,
degroeret iet hleh as atuhteoh ryi ttos pe.a k
Inw rititnhge e sarticIl'ees vt,ir de tboe botha
goodg enaeilrts and goao ds pceiiaslt.M y acaedmic
backgorund( Harvda)r isi nt hes oicalsc iencaensdI,
have twod ecadoefse xpieerncaes saur veyr esearch
execiuevt anda naly.s tSomeitmest hibsac kgorundw as
helfpul,a sw hne analyzicinlngai lct risa.l ButI 'e vaslo
had to usdyt an ubmer off ieltdhsaw te ren ewt om e:
medic,i nmeolecluarb ioglyo,p ublhieca l,t htoixcology,
etc.W henn ecseasryI 'e vsoguhte xptea rdivce.
Thiboso k conatinmsy majAoZrT a rticflorems t he
New YorkN atiev,a nds ome iaotdnidamla ter.i aTlheer
isa certaaimonu notf r epieottni, bIu dton 'tth inka
good redaerw ilmli nd.I nt hem idsotf struggIl e,
haven ehietrt iem noern ergtyow ritaen e ntrielnye w
book. Ina didotni,t hee rmayb e hitsoricvaaulle in
perservtihneeg sa triclaests he yw eer pubslhied.
Chapte1r," oPiosn ByP ersrciipot:n TheA ZTS toyr•,
gievs an overvioefw t he siiotnua asto f abotuhte
middloef 1 989.
ChapteIrI ",A ZTO n Tria"l,i st hem osti mportant
atric-lea n ind-etpha nyaslsi oft heP hsae IIt irasl,
whicwhe ret heb asis goofvre nmenatp rpr)vf?olrA ZT ,
asw ella sc laitmhastA ZT" xeetndlsfi e".
ChapteIrl l",The Epideomliogoyf Fear"c,o fnornts
badg overnmsecnite necxea rcbeatebyd b adj orunlaim,s
layitnog r estth ec alimt ha9t9 % oft hoes ifncetde
witthh e" AIDvSi ruwsi"ld lev el"oApI DS".
ChapteIrV d esrcibdesio aguleo nA ZT amonpge olpe
witAhI DSa ndp hysiciCahnpast.e Vr diesctssa major
AZTs urvisvtauyld, w hichha s beuesend faslel.tyo
clabiemn ietffso Ar ZT.