29 November 2005

TAC and the South African Medical Association take legal action against the Minister of Health, the Medicines Control Council and the Western Cape MEC for Health for failing to act against the illegal activities of the pharmaceutical proprietor Matthias Rath and his agents.

TAC and SAMA press conference announcing court action to be taken

This source tape covered the Treatment Action Campaign and the South African Medical Association's press conference. The press conference was held on the day that these two organisations filed papers in the Cape High Court against the Medicines Control Council (MCC) and the national and provincial Departments of Health to address their inaction in enforcing the Medicines Act against Matthias Rath and his Foundation.

Interview with former Rath employee, Anthony Reece

Former Matthias Rath and Rath Foundation employee, Anthony Reece, spoke to Siyayinqoba Beat It! on the day that the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the South African Medical Association (SAMA) launched their case to guarantee the scientific governance of medicine against the Medicines Control Council, the Department of Health, Matthias Rath and others. Reece supported the action by TAC and SAMA because, according to him, Dr Rath was in acting in contravention of the Medicines Act and was making false claims about his multivitamins. At the time Reece was also being sued by the Rath Foundation for defamation after questioning these false claims.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 15 - Unregulated experimentation

Matthias Rath, who has been discredited in a number of countries in Europe has set up the Dr Rath Foundation in South Africa and has claimed that his package of vitamins can reverse the course of AIDS. While there is no scientific proof that anything besides antiretrovirals (ARVs) can effectively treat HIV and AIDS by restoring our immune systems, the Rath Foundation has actively campaigned against the use of ARVs. Together with the Siyayinqoba support group, we learnt in this episode from the deaths of Ntombekhaya Kruthani and Noxolo Ngalo, and the views of doctors and activists experienced in HIV/AIDS work, of the disastrous consequences of taking the vitamin ‘cures' offered by the Rath Foundation.