Buried within a patent taken out by the inventor, Leo Einuk, and assigned to Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. of Philadelphia is one clue why the experimental drug, Ampligen, could be harmful to patients with ME/CFIDS (Patent # 5,763,417, "Protection From Septic Shock Subsequent to Injury By DSRNAS, June 9, 1998) as well as AIDS patients or anybody who takes it..  The invention is "based on another new and unexpected property of dsRNA, included but not limited to mismatched dsRNA, as exemplified by Ampligen."  
    As the patent describes the role of TNF and RNaseL, it goes on to describe how some things, Ampligen included, increase TNF!  Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) is one thing you certainly don't want an increase of in your body!  TNF breaks down muscle mass.  TNF causes
inflammation.  Increasing one's TNF especially for those who are on Ampligen for longterm protocols, is of great concern since TNF is known to cause cachexia, an extreme wasting and weakness found in sthe latter stages of severe illnesses as well as starvation.