Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - June 1, 2001
Surasak Tumcharoen
The challenge came yesterday from Salang Bunnag, a retired police general who chairs the Salang Bunnag Foundation, which has introduced the V-1 Immunitor drug through its clinic in Chachoengsao province.
Pol Gen Salang yesterday asked Senate Speaker Manoonkrit Roopkachorn that both he and his critics be given a chance to prove their opposing stands on the V1-Immunitor before the public as soon as possible.
Pol Gen Salang aimed his challenge directly at Jon Ungpakorn, a Bangkok senator and top anti-Aids activist, who recently said the V-1 Immunitor might not be safe since it had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The V-1 Immunitor is registered in Chachoengsao as a food supplement.
But Pol Gen Salang claimed the V-1 Immunitor had proved to be an effective Aids cure, as attested by rising numbers of HIV/Aids patients who flocked to the foundation's Ban Bang Pakong clinic in Chachoengsao where the drug was being distributed free of charge.
Mr Jon, who chairs Access, an anti-Aids foundation, also accused the Salang Bunnag Foundation of having made exaggerated and misleading claims about its drug.
But Pol Gen Salang said the V-1 Immunitor had already made "a historical success" in Thailand as an Aids cure, and that the drug should eventually be used throughout the rest of the world.
A few Aids sufferers were found by the Thai Red Cross Society and the Medical Sciences Department to carry a lighter viral load after they had taken the V-1 Immunitor for some time, he claimed.
Pol Gen Salang also said the fact his V-1 Immunitor pills were being given out for free might have been responsible for a sharp drop in the price ofanother Aids drug imported fromIndia, from 9,000 baht to 2,000 baht at present.
The imported drug has the backing of Mr Jon's Access foundation.
Meanwhile, representatives of Access, Aids Prevention Centre and the Foundation for Consumers, yesterday filed a complaint with Chachoengsao police against Dr Montri Sethabutr, head of Ban Bang Pakong clinic, and pharmacist Vichai Jirathitikarn.
They alleged the two had violated the Food Act by putting out advertisements with exaggerated claims about the V-1 Immunitor, with intent to deceive the public.
The foundation announced yesterday it would defy the official order for it to stop distributing the drug with Aids/HIV people in Chachoengsao.
010601
BP010605
Copyright © 2001 - The Bangkok Post. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Bangkok Post.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .