IMUTHIOL APPROVED IN NEW ZEALAND

On October 25 the drug Imuthiol (also known as DTC, or
diethyldithiocarbamate, or dithiocarb) was officially approved
for marketing in New Zealand -- the first country to grant
marketing approval. The drug is indicated for persons over 18,
who either have a T-helper count under 200, or who have
symptomatic HIV infection and cannot tolerate AZT, regardless of
T-helper count.

Comment

Imuthiol has been studied as an AIDS/HIV treatment for
years. Placebo-controlled studies have repeatedly found sustained
T- helper increases and reduced opportunistic infections in
persons using the drug. Nevertheless, in the U. S. there has
been widespread skepticism about its efficacy. Also, we do not
know why it has not been approved in France, where it was
developed by Pasteur Merieux.

AIDS TREATMENT NEWS first covered research on Imuthiol in
issue #29, April 10, 1987, when a multicenter controlled study
was taking place in San Francisco and five other U. S. sites. At
that time we predicted that "If all goes well, DTC could be
approved sometime in 1988." All did not go well, of course;
unexpected and sometimes inexplicable delays intervened.

Is this a drug which should have been approved long ago --
or are the existing data unconvincing -- or, given the drug's
safety, are both statements true? We do not know. Imuthiol is
one of many potential treatments which deserves in-depth
followup; we cannot pursue them all. It is urgent that more
people become involved in such investigation.