Pill king on German fraud rap

2006-07-23 22:43

Diana-Marie Strydom

Cape Town - Controversial doctor Matthias Rath, the German who says his vitamin pills can cure HIV/Aids and who encourages South Africans not to use antiretroviral drugs, has appeared in a Hamburg court on a charge of fraud.

He is being held responsible for the death of a nine-year-old boy who had osteosarcoma.

The British Medical Journal reported on its website that Rath allegedly convinced the boy's parents to use his vitamin pills, rather than follow conventional medical routes.

Dominik Feld's parents stopped his chemotherapy early in 2004 and chose to give him Rath's vitamin pills.

Dominik died in November 2004.

Sipho Mthathi of South African Aids activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), said they hoped the court case in Germany would encourage South Africans, influenced into using Rath's alternative medicines rather than tested antiretroviral drugs, to institute legal action, as well.

Government sending 'wrong message'

Mthathi said: "I think the reason why family of people who have HIV/Aids in South Africa haven't taken legal action against Rath is because there's so much confusion in South Africa about drugs available for treating Aids.

"The message the government sends by supporting Rath's pills in the struggle to eradicate Aids also tells South Africans they can use them."

TAC instituted legal action against Rath last year, trying to stop him from saying his vitamin pills were more effective than antiretroviral drugs for people with Aids. The case is continuing.

The department of health's PRO, Charity Bhengu, said the department had no comment about the court case and had nothing to do with the case in Germany.

- Die Burger