Court ruling stops promotion of vitamins and micronutrients as AIDS cure in South Africa

A South African court has ordered German-born Matthias Rath to stop his operations of promoting vitamins and micronutrient compounds as AIDS cures.¹ Rath, who took advantage of the health minister Tshabalala-Msimang’s contempt for antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, claimed that ARV drugs were highly toxic and promoted his own vitamins and micronutrients remedies, VitaCell. His remedies were eagerly received, particularly by patients living in poor townships and relying heavily on traditional healers or remedies rather than mainstream health providers. The WHO and UNAIDS condemned his activities. A court ruling on 13 June 2008 ordered Rath to halt his operations. It also ordered the Department of Health to take reasonable measures to investigate him and prevent him from doing unauthorised clinical trials and advertising the health effects of VitaCell on patients with HIV/AIDS.

In September 2008, Rath dropped an expensive (~£700,000) libel action against The Guardian who had condemned his promotional activities among AIDS sufferers in South African townships.² Rath was ordered to pay the cost. A Guardian editorial noted that ‘the Rath case provides a terrible illustration of the potential consequences of treating the evidence with contempt.’³

1. . Lancet 2008; 372: 15.
2. . The Guardian 2008; 1.
3. . The Guardian 2008; 36.