In one of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents, Harvey Chernov, the FDA analyst who reviewed the pharmacology data, recommended that AZT should not be approved. Chernov noted many serious toxicities of AZT, especially its effect on the blood: “Although the dose varied, anemia was noted in all species (including man) in which the drug has been tested.” Chernov further noted that AZT is likely to cause cancer: “[AZT] induces a positive response in the cell transformation” assay and is therefore “presumed to be a potential carcinogen.”95
