By Gerry Northam. Ex BBC Panorama. AZT, a drug that could prolong the life of HIV sufferers, became known in the mid-'80s when the AIDS crisis came to public attention. In this report, Gerry Northam points out that initial studies approving AZT were soon overtaken by an in-depth look at the drug which questioned whether it could do more harm than good. The situation revealed a potential conflict between the pursuit of profit and the search for truth.