Item #28: Maternal Nevirapine Proven in ‘Multiple Studies’?

NIAID answers its first question mechanically and predictably: “Single-dose nevirapine is a safe and effective drug for preventing mother- to-infant transmission of HIV. This has been proven by multiple studies, including the HIVNET 012 study conducted in Uganda.” The phrase “safe and effective” has been baked into both the question and the answer, rendering both blank and devoid of meaning. The “multiple studies” line is a familiar tactic, designed to deflect from the study that is actually being addressed, and that is HIVNET 012.

Farber states that the “ 'multiple studies' line is a familiar tactic designed to deflect from the study that is actually being addressed, and that is HIVNET 012.”

On the contrary, the fact that short-course nevirapine has been demonstrated to be effective in other clinical studies as well as in operational settings is relevant.

The Gallo document does not:

• provide a reference for this claim.
• include the word safe, as in “…demonstrated to be safe and effective…”
• does not define whether effectiveness is just defined in terms of results from antibody or PCR tests on infants, or whether it also includes the long term health of the mothers and babies.