Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Johannesburg) - August 3, 2003
The Washington-based Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric Aids Foundation launched the petition on Friday and sent it to a massive data base of thousands of organisations and individuals across the world.
The petition will be presented at the South African Aids Conference in Durban on Tuesday before being forwarded to the MCC.
The petition signed by Kate Carr, chief executive and president of the Foundation and those organisations and individuals that support it will go to Precious Matsoso of the MCC.
It reads: "As researchers, health professionals, advocates and organisations working to prevent and treat HIV/Aids throughout the world, we are writing to express our strong support for proven interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, including the use of Nevirapine.
"There is clear scientific evidence from multiple authoritative sources that a single-dose of Nevirapine, given once to the pregnant woman at the onset of labour and once to her infant in the first three days after birth, substantially reduces the risk of transmission of HIV from mother to child."
The petition continues: "The efficacy and safety of Nevirapine in preventing MTCT has been clearly demonstrated ... in highly regarded international studies, including the SAINT trial in South Africa.
"In addition, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently re-stated their continued support for using Nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV."
The South African Intrapartum Nevirapine Trial (SAINT) study involved some 1,300 HIV-positive pregnant women.
The petition concludes: "Nevirapine has been used safely and effectively in hundreds of thousands of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, preventing infections and saving lives. We applaud the programmes which have been initiated in South Africa and are reaching tens of thousands of HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants annually. We urge you to continue to expand the availability of this lifesaving intervention to all HIV-positive pregnant women and their infants."
Last week, the MCC told the drug manufacturer, Boehringer Ingleheim that unless it provided additional effectiveness data within 90 days, the government would revoke the drug's temporary approval for use in preventing mother-to-child transmission.
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