The politics of AIDS goes on trial
The politics of AIDS treatment will come under scrutiny in the Cape High Court today as the Treatment Action Campaign and the SA Medical Association square off against controversial vitamin crusader Matthias Rath and the government.
The TAC is seeking an interdict to stop Rath from distributing unregistered medicines. Business Day points out that two key issues are at the heart of the case: How does the law define a medicine, and what are the states duties regarding the application and enforcement of these laws? It says the outcome could have far reaching implications for anyone selling products that make health-related claims, from AIDS cures to herbal treatments for an upset stomach. Both sides have taken the relatively unusual step of publishing much of their legal documentation on the Internet before the case has even come before court, catapulting their row into the public domain.
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The State had not responded to a settlement offer in the case, the TAC said yesterday. TAC spokesperson Nathan Geffen said the TAC had filed the application in 2005. Last month, Geffen said, the TAC wrote to acting Health Minister Jeff Radebe offering a settlement, but there had been no response. Instead, the state attorneys had filed papers supporting an application by Rath for late filing of a 2 000 page affidavit.
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