Thai Government Bans Manufacture, Distribution of Reported ‘AIDS Cure’ V-1 Immunitor
The Thai government has banned the manufacture and distribution of V-1 Immunitor, a food supplement that was being promoted by its inventors as an "AIDS cure," the Boston Globe reports. Although the supplement has never been shown to be effective in treating HIV/AIDS, thousands of Thais who cannot afford standard antiretroviral treatment have taken the pill (Boston Globe, 5/4). The Salang Bunnag Foundation in Bangkok in August 2002 stopped distributing the pill after the organization conducted research that found V-1 to be useless in treating HIV infection (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 9/3/2002). If the manufacturers of V-1 are convicted of making false claims about the product, they could be sentenced to up to three years in jail, in addition to about $1,000 in fines. According to the United Nations, approximately 675,000 Thais are HIV-positive (Boston Globe, 5/4).
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