Preventing Vertical Transmission of HIV Infection

The complex clinical trial described by Lallemant and colleagues in this issue of the Journal 1 was designed to determine the optimal duration of treatment with zidovudine to prevent the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection from mother to child in areas where the resources for health care are poor. However, the results of the study may challenge the current policy in both developed2 and developing3 countries.In this study, four regimens of zidovudine were evaluated in 1437 non–breast-feeding women in northern Thailand. The women were given either zidovudine starting at 28 weeks' gestation (the long maternal regimen) . . .