Cameroon: Researchers, AIDS Advocates Fail To Reach Consensus Over Viread Trials

Antiretroviral drug researchers, study sponsors and AIDS advocates in a meeting that began last week in Seattle reached some agreement but failed to resolve completely conflicts over the conduct of clinical trials testing whether the antiretroviral drug Viread, which is made by the pharmaceutical company Gilead, can prevent HIV infection among people in developing countries, the Wall Street Journal reports. At issue is whether researchers should provide lifelong antiretroviral treatment - not just a referral for care - to people who become HIV-positive while participating in the trials.