Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - May 25, 2005
"It's really unfortunate that there will always be people who try to make money out of the misery and suffering of others," he told journalists in reply to a question on controversial vitamin entrepreneur Matthias Rath.
"Recommending vitamins as treatment for HIV is not only confusing but is going to kill people, because they will not say that they want to have access to ARV [anti-retroviral] drugs which are saving lives.
"We are very clear that this is not something ... that we in the UN approve. It can kill people.
"The UN is very clear. Vitamins are no cure or treatment for Aids, and anybody who claims the contrary is a charlatan.
"We are very disturbed that this kind of a commercial exploitation of the suffering of HIV and Aids is made."
Piot's comments come ahead of the second round on Thursday of a high court application by the Treatment Action Campaign for an urgent defamation interdict against Rath, a German national, and his Dr Rath Health Foundation.
Rath has claimed the TAC is a front for the pharmaceutical industry, and that it is pushing ARVs despite allegedly knowing that they are toxic.
His claims on ARVs have been rejected by medical bodies including the World Health Organisation and UNAids itself.
Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been criticised for refusing to distance herself from Rath and his supposed treatment.
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