X-Message-Number: 8859
Date: Thu, 27 Nov 1997 10:41:59 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Robert Ettinger / Visser

I was interested by Robert Ettinger's recent message bringing us
surprisingly positive news about Ms. Visser. Unfortunately I get the
impression that one of Bob's sources (perhaps THE source) for his news is
Ms. Visser herself. From a South African journalist, I have received the
following items which indicate that things are not going quite so well for
Olga as Bob has been led to believe: 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

       Business Day November 21

       Affidavit leads to raid on researcher's home, office 

       PRETORIA - Medicines Control Council officials on Wednesday raided
the Pretoria office and home of Olga Visser on Wednesday, who helped
develop the controversial anti-AIDS drug Virodene P058. 
       The council officials were apparently looking for evidence that
Visser and her colleagues were still treating AIDS patients with Virodene
in contravention of a ban slapped on the drug by the council several
months ago. 
       Visser said the council confiscated patient files from her
premises. Asked for comment yesterday afternoon, a spokesman for council
head Prof Peter Folb said he would talk to the media about the matter this
morning. 
       Visser's husband Zigi, who manages Cryopreservation Technologies,
the company that holds the patent for Virodene P058, said yesterday the
Medicines Control Council raid was apparently made on the strength of an
affidavit by a patient who claimed he was being treated with Virodene. 
       "They have a trumped-up charge from a patient no one knows about,"
he said. "It is probably a desperate attempt by the Medicines Control
Council, pharmaceutical companies and AIDS activists who are trying to
bury Virodene before the new health bills come into effect." 
       Zigi Visser said he was not shown the alleged affidavit. 
       However, he and his wife had co-operated with the Medicines Control
Council during the raid, he said. 
       Talking about a news conference called by the University of the
       Witwatersrand's Centre for Applied Legal Studies in Johannesburg
today to discuss the alleged illegal supply of Virodene to HIV-positive
patients and AIDS sufferers, Visser said: "We are not concerned. We can
defend any action that might be brought against us." 
       Olga Visser, along with researchers Prof Dirk du Plessis and Dr
Callie Landauer presented their findings on Virodene to the cabinet in
January this year, claiming the drug was cheaper and better than any other
AIDS drug on the market. 
       They asked for government funding to continue their research, but
when this became public there was an outcry from the medical fraternity. 
       The Virodene researchers were accused of flaunting accepted
research procedures and trying to leapfrog the queue for research funds. 
       The Medicines Control Council later banned Virodene because it
contained an industrial solvent, dimethylformamide, which council members
said was toxic to humans. 
       Olga Visser said yesterday: "I do not know if there are patients on
Virodene, but if there are, I have no idea where they are getting it
from." 
       She said that it could be coming from outside SA. 
       Zigi Visser said Cryopreservation Technologies had told several
small pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions in other
countries how to produce the drug. 
       Virodene was being produced in African countries like Tanzania,
Kenya and Uganda, he said. 

end of report
----------------------------------------------------------------------

In addition, I am told that there is more detailed information, and quotes
from a AIDS sufferer who actually took Virodene, in the Sunday Independent
at http://www.sunday.co.za/ under the headline "Police called in as
banned drug poisons Aids patients." 

--Charles Platt

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