Document 0661
 DOCN  M9590661
 TI    All pregnant women advised to get HIV test, consider AZT therapy.
       Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD 20849-6003. 800-458-5231
       ext. 5023.
 DT    9509
 SO    AIDS Policy Law. 1995 Mar 10;10(4):6-7. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       AIDS/95700217
 AB    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all
       physicians counsel pregnant women to get HIV tested to reduce the risk
       of HIV transmission to the child. The recommendation was prompted by a
       report that early use of the antiviral drug zidovudine (AZT)
       (administered during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth) in HIV-postive
       pregnant women reduced the risk of HIV infection to the newborn by
       two-thirds. While studies are showing the value of using AZT, government
       officials reject mandatory testing for fear that it will force pregnant
       women away from prenatal care. Because the long-term effects of AZT are
       unknown, it is also felt that doctors should not coerce infected women
       into taking AZT, rather they should explain the possible benefits of the
       therapy as well as the unknown risk of potential side effects to her and
       her child. The costs of AZT are high. Some private prescription-drug
       insurers, however, are now covering the costs since the Food and Drug
       Administration (FDA) has relabeled the drug to include use in pregnancy
       and childbirth. The Pediatric AIDS Foundation states that an HIV test
       costs $25 to $30 for each of the 4 million pregnant women in the U.S.,
       and that AZT therapy costs $1,000 for each infected woman.
 DE    *AIDS Serodiagnosis/ECONOMICS  Acquired Immunodeficiency
       Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS/*DRUG THERAPY/  EPIDEMIOLOGY  Adolescence  Adult
       Clinical Trials  Disease Transmission, Vertical  Drug Therapy/ECONOMICS
       Female  Human  Placebos  Pregnancy  Pregnancy Complications,
       Infectious/*DIAGNOSIS  *Women's Health  Zidovudine/*THERAPEUTIC USE
       NEWSLETTER ARTICLE

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       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).