Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - January 31, 1997
Lesley Cowling
THE scientific community in South Africa and internationally are speculating that the active ingredient of Virodene is an industrial solvent called dimethylformamide (DMF). DMF is used in laboratories to "denature" DNA, a process that releases it from its double strand shape.
Medical researchers say DMF is also the agent used by Pretoria researcher Olga Visser in her research on freezing rat hearts. Visser has been quoted as saying she discovered the active agent of Virodene while conducting her own research, and in the process, accidentally killing a virus.
One expert said that if the Virodene patches that were given to Aids patients in a drug trial contained DMF, that would account for the burning sensation patients reported. Also, the molecules of DMF were fairly small, which squares with Visser's explanation that Virodene worked because the molecules were small enough to penetrate the walls of cells infected with HIV.
Another medical expert said DMF in the body would be able to enter cells and destroy the virus. However, since it causes damage to DNA, it is likely to cause damage to human DNA as well as the DNA of HIV.
Some researchers say this means DMF would have side effects, but how much damage it did to the body would depend on the dosage.
Visser's public relations representative, Larry Heidebrecht, refused to confirm or deny the speculation.
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