Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - July 21, 2006
Marianne Thamm
The Mail & Guardian has learnt that Kotwal is to be charged with failing to follow procedures in researching human subjects, failing to ensure adequate care for laboratory animals, the misleading publication of research results, and failure to maintain adequate health and safety standards in his research.
UCT's preliminary investigating committee, headed by Martin West, met Kotwal and his legal representative last week and was due to make an announcement this week.
Kotwal has also been barred from all research and teaching activities at the university where he has worked for six years.
This week, the labo-ratory where he tested "anti-HIV" remedy Seco-met V on pox viruses, allegedly without following required procedures, was fumigated and bolted.
Recruited to the university in 2000 with a reputation as one of the top 10 virologists in the world, Kotwal was suspended earlier this month after the international journal Nature linked him to Secomet V, manufactured by a Stellenbosch bio-pharmaceutical company.
The potion, which has not been registered as a medicine with the Medicines Control Council (MCC) or undergone clinical trials, has been sold locally since 2002.
Joey Gouws, director of the MCC's inspectorate and law enforcement unit, would neither confirm nor deny that the council was investigating the deaths of two HIV-positive patients treated with Secomet.
She referred all inquiries to Department of Health spokesperson Solly Mabotha, who had not responded by the M&G's deadline.
060721
MG060708
Copyright © 2006 - Daily Mail & Guardian. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
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Always watch for outdated information.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 2006. 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, 2006. 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. .