TAC Newsletter - 12 February 2002 * Upcoming Events - 16 February, 9:30am, Room 717 Colonial Building, 330 West Street, Durban: Provincial Meeting to discuss mother-to-child transmission prevention, the importation of generic ARVs from Brazil, a National Treatment and Prevention Plan for HIV/AIDS and other issues critical to TAC's work in KZN. Contact Sizwe or Dee at 031 304 3673. - 20 February, 11:00am, Keizergracht Street, Cape Town: Rally followed by March to Parliament (13:00) to support the call for a Basic Income Grant (BIG) and a National HIV/AIDS Treatment and Prevention Plan. The BIG or similar poverty alleviation measure is viewed by TAC as an essential mechanism for dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Poor nutrition and hunger exacerbates HIV-disease and the BIG is a means of addressing this. Contact Mandla or Nondimisa at 021 364 5489. - 1 March: Picket for mother-to-child transmission prevention outside Pretoria High Court and possibly outside the Gauteng MEC for Health's office. Details to follow. This is the day the Pretoria High Court will consider the state's application to appeal and hear TAC's application to execute part of Judge Botha's judgement before the case is heard in the constitutional court. Contact Pholokgolo or Lefa at 011 403 7021. - 2 March, 11:30, Durban City Hall: Rally followed by Mother-to-Child Transmission Prevention Victory March. Contact Sizwe or Dee at 031 304 3673 * Letter to Mr. Smuts Ngonyama regarding his statements made to the Star Newspaper. The following letter has been sent to Mr. Smuts Ngonyama, Head of the Presidency in the African National Congress. To: Mr. Smuts Ngonyama Head of the Presidency African National Congress PO Box 61884 Marshalltown 2107 By Fax: (011) 376 1134 Dear Mr. Ngonyama DEFAMATORY STATEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO MR SMUTS NGONYAMA According to The Star daily newspaper on 31 January 2002 (Annexure 1), Mr Smuts Ngonyama condemned the importation of generic antiretroviral medicines by the Treatment Action Campaign and COSATU into South Africa. The Star states "ANC head of presidency Smuts Ngonyama said bringing untested drugs into the country was irresponsible. It might even endanger the lives of the very people they were meant to save." Furthermore, Mr Ngonyama is quoted as saying, "This may open our country to biological warfare. Many people may die using untested drugs." The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) regards these statements as spurious and misleading and calculated to discredit the organisation through the deliberate dissemination of alarmist and scientifically incorrect information. Critically, the disinformation contained in these statements seems designed to create confusion and fear among people with HIV/AIDS who need these medicines. The statements are also defamatory. We urge you to answer the following questions: 1.Does Mr. Ngonyama stand by the statement published and attributed to him? If he does not, will Mr. Ngonyama ask The Star to publish (a) a retraction or repudiation that reassures people with HIV/AIDS of the safety of these medicines and (b) an apology to TAC? 2.Did Mr. Ngonyama and the office he represents take the opportunity to learn the facts on the importation of generic anti-retroviral drugs from Brazil before issuing the alleged statement? 3.Did he contact the Health Department or the Medicines Control Council (MCC) before making the statement? He definitely did not contact TAC. 4.Did Mr. Ngonyama learn from the MCC, the Registrar of Medicines or the Director-General of Health that MSF, on whose behalf TAC was acting, had obtained a section 21 exemption after supplying bio-equivalence studies of the imported anti-retrovirals to the MCC? 5.Does Mr. Ngonyama suggest or imply that the Brazilian government is engaged in biological warfare against its people or that the medicines supplied to its citizens from Farmanguinos are untested? 6.Was the statement issued on behalf of the African National Congress (ANC), or in Mr. Ngonyama's official capacity as Head of "The Presidency" in the ANC? 7.Does Mr. Ngonyama stand by the statement that the medicines TAC imported from Brazil are untested? 8.Does Mr. Ngonyama stand by the statement that many people may die using these drugs, when in fact antiretroviral medicines have substantially reduced HIV/AIDS mortality and morbidity in Brazil? 9.Does Mr Ngonyama stand by his statement that the drugs might endanger the lives of the people they are meant to save? 10.Does Mr Ngonyama suggest that TAC and its allies may "open the country to biological warfare"? TAC and COSATU acted on behalf of the internationally respected organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) after this organisation had received an exemption to import and administer generic anti-retrovirals from Brazil. The exemption is attached (annexure 2). The Brazilian anti-retroviral medicines -- which MSF imported in conjunction with TAC -- have been shown to be pharmacologically equivalent to the MCC registered brand-name versions sold at much higher prices in South Africa. In Brazil, these antiretroviral medicines have been largely responsible for that country's substantially reduced mortality due to HIV/AIDS. Therefore, to state that the importation of these medicines for use in the MSF project "may open our country to biological warfare" is false, irresponsible and defamatory. Millions of people are at risk of dying prematurely because they cannot access treatments for HIV/AIDS. TAC will if necessary vindicate the truth and legal foundation of its position and its actions by means of litigation. We therefore encourage Mr Ngonyama and others in equivalent positions to refrain from making any future reckless, irresponsible, scientifically spurious and misleading statements. Yours faithfully Nathan Geffen (National Manager) -On behalf of the Treatment Action Campaign --- Below is the Star Report The Star Thursday January 31 2002 ANC raps activists over drug imports The ANC has blasted Cosatu and the Treatment Action Campaign for importing cheap Aids drugs. ANC head of presidency Smuts Ngonyama said bringing untested drugs into the country was irresponsible. It might even endanger the lives of the very people they were meant to save. "This may open our country to biological warfare. Many people may die using untested drugs." He said the ANC would raise the matter with its alliance partner Cosatu, adding that during the recent meeting between his party and the labour federation, Cosatu did not indicate that there was a plan to import generic drugs. Asked if Cosatu's position on the matter threatened the tripartite alliance, Ngonyama said: " We do not want to believe that this is the official position of Cosatu." Attempts to speak to Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzime Vavi drew a blank yesterday. Ngonyama said the ANC was not opposed in principle to the importation of cheaper drugs. He said the party wanted the importation to follow the right procedure by going through the Medical Control Council, which would pronounce on the safety of the drugs. Cosatu and the TAC have announced that they would continue to import cheap drugs in defiance of the government, which has been reluctant to give them to Aids sufferers. -Political Staff ------------------------- Treatment Action Campaign Enquiries: info@tac.org.za Subscribe/unsubscribe to these emails: subscribe@tac.org.za Website: http://www.tac.org.za/ National Office: (tel) 021 788 3507, (fax) 021 788 3726 Mail: PO Box 74 Nonkqubela, 7793 Kwazulu-Natal: (tel) 031 304 3673, (fax) 031 304 9743 Gauteng: (tel) 011 403 7021, (fax) 011 403 2106 Western Cape: (tel) 021 364 5489, (fax) 021 361 7051