AIDS drug sets off debate in S. Africa

The drug is the mainstay of efforts around the world to prevent HIV-infected mothers from passing the AIDS virus to their babies during birth.

Mbeki said in Parliament last week that AZT is toxic and was being challenged by court cases in the United States, Britain and South Africa - a claim the manufacturer, Glaxo Wellcome PLC, has hotly denied.

The issue is critical in a nation with one of the world's worst AIDS problems, where 3.6 million people, or 8 percent of the population, are estimated to be HIV positive. The controversy threatens to set back efforts to fight the disease.

In his speech last Thursday, Mbeki spoke of a "large volume of scientific evidence alleging that, among other things, the toxicity of this drug is such that it is in fact a danger to health."

Mbeki said that it would be "irresponsible" not to heed the "dire warnings" of researchers about the safety of AZT, which is one of the world's oldest and best-known AIDS drugs. Reputable scientists have issued no such warnings, and it was unclear what he was referring to.

Yesterday, the government promised to investigate the safety of AZT. Mbeki said he has asked the health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, to oversee the inquiry.

Tshabalala-Msimang told the South African Broadcasting Corp. that AZT would not be barred from the market but she was deciding how to investigate the matter "so that we really have concrete information in our hands."

The drug has been approved by regulators in South Africa and around the world, and is commonly used in combination with other drugs to control the AIDS virus or prevent infection among health care workers exposed to it. Many studies have shown that AZT cuts in half the risk that women will infect their babies during delivery.

11-03-99