PRNewswire - November 11, 2003

"Expanding access to HAART monitoring via this laboratory partnership is part of AHF Global Immunity's commitment to rapidly expand access to comprehensive anti-retroviral treatment in South Africa," said Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President, a partner in the free AIDS treatment clinic in Durban. "This partnership with Primagen will result in better, more cost-effective monitoring of our patients' health and well being, and we thank Primagen for partnering with us and sponsoring this program."

"Primagen's sponsorship of this groundbreaking laboratory partnership in South Africa is a tremendous support to, and endorsement of AHF Global Immunity's ongoing effort to try and bring ARV treatment to HIV positive people across the globe," said Henry Chang, AHF Global Immunity's Executive Director. "We thank them for their vision and commitment in supporting our treatment efforts in Kwa Zulu Natal."

"In treating people in resource-poor settings around the world, access to more cost-effective viral load testing and technology is as important as access to cheaper anti-retroviral medications," said Anton Kerr, AHF Global Immunity's Director of Operations from his London office. "I am grateful for this new South African partnership, and it is my hope that it serves as an affordable and sustainable model of how to provide both testing and treatment in the developing world."

"The agreement with Global Immunity is further confirmation of our commitment to bring HIV-1 molecular tests to resource-poor settings," said Bob van Gemen, Chief Executive Officer of Primagen. "It is our mission to improve the treatment of individual patients with molecular tests. For use in developing countries we are making our Retina(TM) Rainbow HIV-1 test available at affordable prices and sponsor exceptional initiatives with free tests, like the Global Immunity laboratory in Durban, South Africa."

The partnership was announced during a reception and ribbon cutting ceremony this morning at the new Xakaza Laboratory/HAART Monitoring Laboratory initiative in Durban. The Premier of KwaZulu Natal, the Mayor of Durban and senior ANC and Ministry of Health officials were expected to attend the lab dedication and ribbon-cutting, which was followed by a reception at the Ithembalabantu clinic.

Ithembalabantu is the free AIDS treatment clinic sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation/Global Immunity (AHF/GI), an international program of the largest AIDS organization in the United States, in partnership with the Network of AIDS Communities/South Africa (NetCom, SA). The facility opened in September 2001 and first began providing anti-retroviral therapy to patients in February 2002. The clinic currently serves approximately 520 clients; more than 170 of these patients receive anti-retroviral therapy.

"I thank Primagen for sponsoring this testing program and partnering with us as we try to bring life-saving ARV treatments for HIV/AIDS to South Africa and our own Ithembalabantu patients," said Nomaswazi Hlubi, Executive Director of NetCom SA.

Primagen Holding B.V. -- Primagen Holding in the Netherlands, has donated viral load equipment (Retina TH Rainbow), test kits and training to AHF Global Immunity to the value of R480 000, to establish a viral load laboratory in a country which AHF Global Immunity operates. The Primagen Retina Rainbow assay utilizes technology that makes it convenient and safe to transport over long distances, as well as significantly reducing the cost of viral load monitoring

AHF Global Immunity -- AIDS Healthcare Foundation, established in 1987, is the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS specialty medical service provider in the United States. AHF has founded AHF Global Immunity, which is a non-profit, international initiative of AIDS Healthcare Foundation that works in partnership with local stakeholders to establish replicable, scalable and sustainable models for HIV/AIDS medical services delivery in resource-constrained settings. The mission of AHF Global Immunity is to change the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic by expanding access to live sustaining ARV treatment for HIV positive people across the globe. AHF-GI work with NetCom and other stakeholders to operate the Ithembalabantu "People's Hope" Clinic in Umlazi Township, the largest HIV/AIDS treatment site in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Durban, South Africa. AHF Global Immunity also operates two other free AIDS treatment clinics in the developing world: Uganda, the Uganda Cares Healthcare Center in Masaka, Uganda; and Honduras, the Siempre Unidos Clinic in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. http://www.aidshealth.org.

HAART Monitoring Laboratory (V.M.N Xakaza Medical Laboratory) -- As an ongoing commitment to expanding access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment and care, and to black empowerment, AHF Global Immunity has chosen to form a partnership with Xakaza Medical Laboratory, which was established in 2000 and is its current laboratory service provider, to establish a HAART Monitoring Laboratory in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation

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