"Compound X" plus uridine prevents AZT toxicity. (Sixteenth AIDS Clinical Trial Group Meeting)

Keith K. Key, News Editor, with Daniel J. DeNoon

A new drug may prevent the toxicities associated with zidovudine (AZT) therapy, preliminary studies suggest.

The toxicity of AZT to bone-marrow progenitor cells has limited the utility of this drug in treating HIV infection. Although uridine is known to prevent AZT toxicity, the rapid clearance of this nucleoside makes it impractical for use in patients.

At a plenary session of the recent Sixteenth NIAID AIDS Clinical Trial Group Meeting in Washington, D.C., University of Alabama, Birmingham, researcher Jean Pierre Sommadossi reported the development of a compound that permits uridine rescue of …