The Nation - News from Oct. 2, 1989

An unapproved drug popular in underground efforts to fight the AIDS virus since it showed promise in the laboratory is apparently ineffective in the body, according to a medical journal report. In the Oct. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers report on the use of dextran sulfate in 18 healthy volunteers, saying that after administering the drug orally and intravenously, they found only traces of any activity by the drug. The study appears to confirm preliminary results announced in February by Dr. Frank E. Young, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the drug is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream and shows little promise of fighting the AIDS virus. The study’s results show that the FDA should continue to move cautiously in allowing AIDS patients access to untested drugs, said the principal investigator, Dr. Paul S. Lietman of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.