AEGiS-GMHC: BULLETIN: Rumors About New Swiss Treatment

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

BULLETIN: Rumors About New Swiss Treatment

Gay Men's Health Crisis Treatment Issues, Vol. 5, No. 7 - October, 1991

A Hungarian physician, Dr. Roka has attracted widespread attention among U.S. AIDS patients and their physicians with a new drug derived from 18 plants and herbs. The substance is extracted from medicinal plants, a procedure which removes the toxic components of the plants, leaving a compound which is said to have antiviral and immune-boosting activities. One such extract (Calciviren) is administered by intravenous and intramuscular injections over a three day period in conjunction with ozone therapy (a procedure by which blood is mixed with ionized oxygen and then reinfused). The other extract (Rovital) is administered by either drops mixed with juice or a gel taken orally. A cream form of Rovital is also available to be applied directly to KS lesions. Roka has been administering the extracts in Switzerland for about a year.

Dr. Roka reports treating 136 HIV+ patients in Tanzania in an uncontrolled experiment between July 1988 and April 1989. He reports a resolution in symptoms such as fevers, cough, diarrhea and a regression of swollen glands in a majority of patients. In Switzerland, Dr. Roka reports successful treatment of approximately 70 patients, 20 of whom were Americans travelling abroad for the treatment.

Discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (AZT, ddI, or ddC) and therapies for CMV or herpes is required. The cost of the therapy is approximately 4600-5300 Sfr. (about $3,000), which includes consultation and the extracts, but not cost of travel or accommodations in Europe.

A corporation based in Salt Lake City, called Advanced Biological systems, Inc., is interested in testing the drug and has financed some preliminary toxicology tests in Kingston, Jamaica. A double-blind clinical study is planned in Jamaica under the direction of Dr. Patricia Burke. The sponsor claims that clinical protocols have been designed to meet FDA and World Health Organization guidelines.

There is no evidence that these substances have anti-HIV activity or immune boosting effects, since laboratory tests using HIV-infected cell lines have not been conducted. The substances have not been tested in standard animal models to assess effects on different organs and body tissues. Likewise the safety and efficacy in humans have not been demonstrated, nor have toxicities been ascertained. Withdrawal of antiretroviral and other antiviral therapies should not be done without consulting with a physician. Treatment Issues, along with researchers at NYU Medical Center, has requested that Dr. Roka allow his compounds to be tested in a New York laboratory. We are awaiting a reply. Given the nature of the information we have available, at this point, PWAs are advised to proceed with caution when pursuing this treatment. (See "How to Evaluate New Treatments" in TI, Vol. 5, No. 3.)

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