sick and dying from AIDS, at least in the United States.”
What a great witness, Cambell thinks. And what a great way to end this trial.
“Dr. Roderick, why are these HAART drugs so dangerous?”
“One of the reasons is the huge dosages, and the fact that people are told to take them every day for the rest of their lives. Even cancer patients don’t take their chemotherapy every day for years on end. They take it for a while, take a break to let their bodies recover from the drug’s toxicity, and then go another round. That’s not what’s happening with the HAART drugs, which, by the way, are simply another form of chemotherapy, designed to destroy cells.”
“And what about the side effects of these HAART drugs.”
“There are many of them, including horrible nausea, loss of fatty tissue – especially in the face – which is called lipodystrophy, a distended abdomen that looks like a pot belly, buffalo humps on the back and neck, and more. But the most common is organ failure, specifically liver failure.”
“Why?”
“Unfortunately, some of these HIV protease inhibitors interfere with certain enzymes in the body, preventing the liver from getting rid of all the toxins it collects. When you have all of these HAART drugs that your liver is normally trying to eliminate, but can't, the concentrations are going to build up. You will start seeing toxic effects even at doses that would ordinarily be perfectly safe. Finally, the liver can get overwhelmed and stop working altogether; and if that happens, you die. This is particularly dangerous for AIDS patients because they are often taking almost a whole drugstore's worth of pills every day.”
Campbell looks at the jury as he slowly repeats what Roderick just said. “You die from liver failure.” Then he looks back at the witness. “But haven’t there been major improvements in the HAART drugs in the last ten years?”
“There have been some improvements, yes, but I wouldn’t call them ‘major,’ and they
What a great witness, Cambell thinks. And what a great way to end this trial.
“Dr. Roderick, why are these HAART drugs so dangerous?”
“One of the reasons is the huge dosages, and the fact that people are told to take them every day for the rest of their lives. Even cancer patients don’t take their chemotherapy every day for years on end. They take it for a while, take a break to let their bodies recover from the drug’s toxicity, and then go another round. That’s not what’s happening with the HAART drugs, which, by the way, are simply another form of chemotherapy, designed to destroy cells.”
“And what about the side effects of these HAART drugs.”
“There are many of them, including horrible nausea, loss of fatty tissue – especially in the face – which is called lipodystrophy, a distended abdomen that looks like a pot belly, buffalo humps on the back and neck, and more. But the most common is organ failure, specifically liver failure.”
“Why?”
“Unfortunately, some of these HIV protease inhibitors interfere with certain enzymes in the body, preventing the liver from getting rid of all the toxins it collects. When you have all of these HAART drugs that your liver is normally trying to eliminate, but can't, the concentrations are going to build up. You will start seeing toxic effects even at doses that would ordinarily be perfectly safe. Finally, the liver can get overwhelmed and stop working altogether; and if that happens, you die. This is particularly dangerous for AIDS patients because they are often taking almost a whole drugstore's worth of pills every day.”
Campbell looks at the jury as he slowly repeats what Roderick just said. “You die from liver failure.” Then he looks back at the witness. “But haven’t there been major improvements in the HAART drugs in the last ten years?”
“There have been some improvements, yes, but I wouldn’t call them ‘major,’ and they