All antiretroviral drugs are highly toxic to humans.

The following scientific facts support the assertion that "all antiretroviral drugs are highly toxic to humans":

8.1. After more than a decade of treating and trying to prevent AIDS with antiretroviral therapies, neither individual nor public health benefits have been achieved (200,249,250).

8.2. Zidovudine [AZT], the most popular of the AIDS medications, was originally developed for chemotherapy in cancer, but due to its toxicity it was never approved for human use (251). AZT is now licensed by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] as an anti-HIV medication (81,252,253).

AZT is a potent cytotoxic DNA chain-terminator (81,82).

The toxicity of AZT, the drug now prescribed indefinitely to both healthy HIV-positive individuals and to AIDS patients, has been solidly documented (81,88,152,198,254-257).

AZT is highly toxic to human cells, including T4 lymphocytes, at the "antiretroviral" dosage recommended by the manufacturer (256).

The immunotoxicity of AZT, as well as its myelotoxicity [toxicity to the bone marrow], are very well recognized (258). Granulocytopenia [decrease of white blood cells called granulocytes] is one of the most common effects seen in persons treated with AZT (259,260).

There are also very well documented investigations showing that AZT has carcinogenic properties with respect to fast growing human and animal immune and other cells (256). In humans, AZT increases the risk of lymphomas by 50 times (261). And AZT has been confirmed to be carcinogenic in mice (262-264). However, AZT is sold in the United States, where it is illegal to sell drugs that are carcinogenic (114,263,265).

AZT can also cause anemia, lymphocytopenia, hepatitis, pancreatitis, myositis, muscle atrophy, wasting disease, dementia, lactic acidosis, severe hepatomegalia with steatosis, vasculitis, and it prevents mitochondrial DNA synthesis (266-270).

The toxicity of AZT is so well documented that the pharmaceutical company that makes and commercializes it typically writes, "Retrovir (Zidovudine) may be associated with severe hematologic toxicity including granulocytopenia and severe anemia particularly in patients with advanced HIV disease" and they add that, "Myopathy and myositis with pathologic changes similar to that produced by HIV disease, have been associated with prolonged use of Retrovir" (253).

The use of AZT for pregnant women can induce abortion, congenital malformation such as cavities in the chest, abnormal indentations at the base of the spine, misplaced ears, triangular faces, heart defects, extra digits and albinism (271). This toxicity for embryos has also been documented in animals (272).

The American National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has warned about the toxicity of AZT for children (273). It is recognized that AZT impedes normal child growth and development (273).

AZT can also destroy non-growing cells, such as neurons and muscle cells (270), thus causing muscle atrophy (266,275-280), and dementia (269,281).

It is well known that a great deal of illegal actions were carried out to achieve the 1987 FDA marketing approval of AZT (282).

8.3. The toxicity of AZT can be potentialized by other DNA chain terminators such as gancyclovir and acyclovir, drugs that are frequently prescribed together with AZT in the treatment and prevention of opportunistic viral infections (283,284).

8.4. Currently, the HIV-AIDS supporters are prescribing hydroxyurea, an inexpensive drug used for chemotherapy of leukemia (285). This too is an inhibitor of DNA synthesis.

8.5. The toxicity of the new protease inhibitors, prescribed as part of the so-called AIDS treatment "cocktails", is also well documented (286).

The "cocktails" contain a protease inhibitor in conjunction with two DNA chain-terminators (286).

Researchers have been documenting that persons on protease inhibitors are developing abnormal fat accumulations, termed "buffalo humps" and "crixbelly" (287-289).

The hepatotoxicity of protease inhibitors has also been documented (290). Dogs and rats treated with protease inhibitors develop hepatic cell necrosis 30 minutes after administration of the drug (291).

As time passes, more and more metabolic and endocrine disturbances are described in individuals placed on protease inhibitors. Recent studies report hypertrophy of the breasts; increase of blood sugar [diabetes], cholesterol, and triglycerides; abnormal subcutaneous and visceral fat accumulation; peripheral fat wasting and lipomatosis; pancreatitis and angina (287,288,292-294). Hypertriglyceridemia [high level of one of the fat components of blood] is being described in 79% of the individuals taking protease inhibitors (295).

It has even been documented that protease inhibitors can induce the development of AIDS-defining diseases such as mycobacterial infections (296).

All these effects of the protease inhibitors are taking the edge off cocktail euphoria (297).

The scientific evidence shows that antiretroviral drugs are highly toxic to both humans and animals.