The Nation : Anti-AIDS Drug Approved

The government has approved a controversial anti-AIDS drug--which actor Rock Hudson flew to Paris to obtain--for experimental use in the United States, a spokeswoman confirmed. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, HPA-23, for testing in humans last month, but has held off announcing it, according to spokeswoman Susan Cruzan. The manufacturer, Rhone-Poulenc Inc., is still working with the FDA on testing guidelines. HPA-23, which bears the chemical name of antimonium tungstate, was previously available only in France. Hospitals used it experimentally on acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients, some of whom came from the United States.