Letter: Early warning over Aids drug testing

Sir: It is unsurprising that the 'Concorde' trial of AZT produced the results it did ('Shares tumble after trial of Aids drug', 3 April). Back in 1989-90, my colleague, John Creedy, and I raised many questions about the ethics, precepts and methodology of this trial, having had experience of taking the drug.

It was clear then that this trial was meant to underline Europe's supposed lead in virology, both theoretical and applied, and to boost Wellcome's exports. The trial also went some way towards addressing the medical profession's sense of emasculation in the face of asymptomatic HIV infection.

Our experience has shown the physical price to be paid for taking AZT: transfusions, tiredness and muscular pain. How anyone could have wished to visit those side-effects on patients who were well - except for a blood test - was, and remains, beyond our comprehension.

But something positive could come of the 'Concorde' disappointment. The Medical Research Council may finally be forced to produce an effective strategy in Aids research, one that is as much driven by seeking to treat and control the killer opportunistic infections in Aids as it is in glamorous (and potentially Nobel prize-winning) research for the 'magic bullet'.

Yours sincerely,

RICHARD BARKER

London, N7

3 April