The article appeared in the PROVINCETOWN BANNER of 27 August 1998. It is a response to an article by Richard Ferri, a Provincetown nurse and AIDS counsellor.

I don't, as I hold AZT directly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including friends of mine. I've followed this drug for over a decade, and written two books exposing AZT lies: Poison By Prescription: The AZT Story (1990) and The AIDS War (1993).

Ferri writes that AZT is "the most studied AIDS drug on the market". It probably is, but are the published studies any good? I have examined the major studies used to claim benefits for AZT, and found none of them worthy of credence.

In a letter published in the New York Times (22 July 1995) Tim Hand made two points. One: "While the absolute number of studies casting doubt on AZT is small, they tend to have two things in common: good experimental design and 'independent' funding." Two: "The more numerous studies supporting AZT's benefits tended to use inappropriate experimental designs and very short follow-up times. Moreover, these studies were financed, at least in part, by the drug's maker, the Burroughs Wellcome Company."

In 1992 I obtained FDA documents under the Freedom Of Information Act, which showed that widespread cheating took place in the Phase II AZT trials. Rather than bringing criminal charges against the culprits, the FDA covered up the cheating and approved AZT for marketing. My exposes of the Phase II AZT trials, published first in the New York Native, were cited in a Lancet editorial and featured in the 1992 British television documentary, "AZT: Cause For Concern".

Ferri considers it a myth that "the drug is poison". In fact, AZT is labelled as a poison, complete with the skull-and- crossbones symbol, by the Sigma chemical supply firm. AZT is cytotoxic, meaning lethal to healthy cells. AZT's biochemical mode of action is simple: it is a terminator of DNA synthesis, the life process itself.

AZT was developed in the 60s, as a potential anti-cancer drug. Since cell growth requires DNA synthesis, it was theorized that AZT would kill cancer cells, which grow abnormally fast. With all cancer chemotherapy, the aim is to administer a poison which will kill cancer cells before killing the patient -- with the hope that when the drugs are stopped, the patient can recover without the cancer. However, AZT was ineffective in treating leukemic mice, and was too toxic to consider using in human beings. Not until 1985 did the first humans take AZT, as part of the Phase I trials.

AZT's toxicities are severe: anemia; myopathy, or muscle disease (muscular pain, inflammation, atrophy); cachexia (wasting); nausea; severe headaches; damage to kidneys, liver and nerves.

It is no myth that AZT is a carcinogen. It causes cancer in rodents; it is highly active on a standard cancer screening test, the Cell Transformation Assay; and there is a strong correlation between long-term AZT therapy and cancer of the lymph system.

AIDS patients should take charge of their own recovery -- find out all the facts, and make their own decisions. Too many have died because they trusted the advice of their doctors, AIDS organizations, or various counsellors -- all of whom were influenced, in one way or another, by the detail men and public relations campaigns of the pharmaceutical companies.

Critical AIDS books by Peter Duesberg, Neville Hodgkinson and myself are available in the Provincetown Public Library and the PPPWAC library. For those with Internet access, there are now well over a dozen web sites debunking the AIDS myths. Check out www.virusmyth.com/aids/, for a starter.

If you have a diagnosis of "AIDS" or "HIV-positive", don't take Richard Ferri's word, or mine either. Think for yourself!

John Lauritsen is a Provincetown resident.

Other articles by John Lauritsen

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