Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - Thursday, August 16, 2001
Aphaluck Bhatiasevi
The foundation's head, Pol Gen Salang Bunnag, said he regarded the ministry's finding as just "another piece of paper".
The foundation planned to distribute V-1 Immunitor to Aids patients at Hat Yai sports stadium on Saturday and in Phitsanulok and Nakhon Ratchasima the following weeks.
The Health Ministry on Tuesday announced that two months of monitoring of the health of 50 patients taking Immunitor for at least six months had shown it had no significant effect on the blood, viral load, CD4, CD8 and lymphnodes of patients with HIV/Aids.
Pol Gen Salang said the ministry's committee which made the study was biased against the drug. Some of the committee members were also involved in the Aids vaccine trial.
The committee should comprise people from the Communicable Diseases Control Department, his foundation and the Social Welfare Council.
Communicable Diseases Control Department director-general Somsong Rakphao said the general was fully aware of the composition of the committee from the beginning and had not raised any objection.
None of the committee members had vested interests in the drug or any vaccines. They came from credible institutions like Siriraj and Ramathibodi hospitals and Mahidol University.
Pharmacist Vichai Jirathitikal, inventor of V-1 Immunitor, said he was not surprised by the ministry's negative finding. "We're not bothered about what they have to say, because we can see the results in our patients," he said.
Senator Jon Ungphakorn, an Aids activist, said he believed the rush for V-1 Immunitor would fade away as the people taking it came to realise it did nothing to improve their health.
"This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened in Thailand. We've witnessed the use of other substances in the past. If the manufacturers of V-1 Immunitor have other motives, then they may come up with something or other to keep the momentum for its use going," he said.
He was most concerned about the claim that V-1 Immunitor was an Aids cure or an oral vaccine. This could mislead people with HIV/Aids into rejecting other medication.
Mr Jon urged the Health Ministry to clearly explain the committee's finding so people would understand V-1 Immunitor was not effective.
Pol Gen Salang said he was ready to prove the effectiveness of V-1 Immunitor by giving it to patients with critical skin infections for at least a week.
The ministry could compare the results with another group taking the best available drug.
He claimed all Aids activists and scientists who were against V1-Immunator had vested interests. "They're all working in the interests of foreign countries and research on foreign medicines," he said.
Pol Gen Salang said he did not want the US Communicable Diseases Control Center to test the ingredients of V-1 Immunitor as suggested by the Communicable Diseases Control Department director-general. This would be a violation of intellectual property rights.
Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said the manufacturers of V-1 Immunitor should register it as a drug with the Food and Drug Administration and allow proper scientific research into it.
010816
BP010804
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 Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, 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. .