3-Drug Combination Trial: ddC+AZT+Interferon

Burroughs-Wellcome Corporation, which markets AZT, has found
that a three-drug combination (AZT plus ddC plus alpha
interferon) worked very well against HIV in laboratory tests
-- much better than the two-drug combination of ddC and AZT
(which was recently approved by the FDA in the United
States). The company has recently started a large clinical
trial in the United States to see if this combination also
works well in people. The trial, which started treating its
first volunteers in late June, is comparing standard doses of
AZT and ddC against the same doses of those drugs plus a dose
of 3 MU of interferon injected once per day.

The form of interferon being used in this trial is Wellferon,
a "natural" alpha interferon which contains at least 16
variants of the interferon molecule. Wellferon is approved in
some European countries, where it is used for treating
hepatitis B. Other brands of alpha interferon might be
equivalent, but no one knows for sure.

For more information about the three-drug combination, see
"Three-Drug Study Begins: AZT Plus ddC Plus Alpha Interferon,
Eight U. S. Cities," AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #154, July 3,
1992.

Note: The controversial AIDS treatment Kemron is a form of
alpha interferon similar to Wellferon. But Kemron treatment
is very different from standard interferon treatment, such as
that used in the Burroughs-Wellcome trial, for two reasons.
First, Kemron contains doses of interferon which are
thousands of times lower than those generally used. Second,
Kemron is placed under the tongue, instead of being given by
injection like conventional interferon treatment.