-Caveat Lector- Tuesday June 5 7:12 AM ET Thai AIDS Cure Claim Draws Crowds, Skepticism By Angela Takats BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of AIDS (news - web sites) patients are flocking to a clinic in central Thailand which claims to have found a miracle cure for the deadly AIDS virus. Last week 4,000 people, some with oxygen masks and in wheelchairs, flooded a gymnasium in Bangkok to get a free week's supply of 'V-1 Immunitor', which its creator claims eliminates the virus entirely. The drug has not passed clinical trials and the government has not approved it as a medicine, although Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said it should be approved if it really works. Critics say it offers false hope to Thailand's estimated one million people with HIV (news - web sites)/AIDS, few of whom can afford expensive Western AIDS drugs. ``I have a great deal of sympathy for those who want treatment,'' said Bernard Gardiner, regional manager for HIV/AIDS for the Red Cross. ``But it is misleading to make these sorts of claims.'' ``The question this raises is, what is the Thai government's plan for access to treatment? And this is a fundamental human rights issue.'' Gardiner suggested the government focus on making high-quality, low-cost copies of antiretroviral AIDS drugs that already have a track record. ``CAN HELP PATIENTS'' But pharmacist Vichai Jirotthi-tikal says his drug V-1 -- made from a mixture of calcium, magnesium and traces of the virus itself -- works, even if he can't afford the time or money needed to test it to clinical standards. ``The data from the blood test shows we can help patients who are HIV positive to develop themselves and have a healthy life,'' Vichai said. ``They are normal -- they can work.'' He says the drug has eliminated the virus in two patients, and symptoms such as skin lesions and fatigue have disappeared in others. No one has independently verified the blood tests. U.S.-born ``Darwin,'' 61, has been HIV positive for several years and said he was eager to try it. ``You know, when one has AIDS -- one will try anything, almost, to live,'' he said. Sripai, whose husband died of AIDS, now lives with the disease, as does her three-year-old daughter. She said her symptoms had disappeared since she started taking the drug. ``One year after I started taking the medicine I feel better and so does my daughter. She used to be so skinny and had sores all over her mouth -- she couldn't even eat. But now we are better,'' Sripai said. The health ministry says it plans to study V-1, and Thaksin has said he has asked the ministry to speed up the process of studying the drug. Vichai says he will keep giving out V-1 as long as people ask for it. (With additional reporting by Erin Prelypchan) ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
