E-DRUG: South African court case on MTCT/nevirapine (2)
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[E-drug carried an announcement on 21 November about this
2nd landmark court case in South Africa. This time it is not
the Industry against the Government, but the AIDS activists
(and many friends) against the same Government, to force
the distribution of nevirapine for MTCT. Judgement is reserved
but expected by 14 December.
First the ANC, then the Mail & Guardian.
The TAC side is at www.tac.org.za
Copied as fair use. NN]
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html
ANC condemns Aids court action
Johannesburg | Monday
The ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) criticised the Treatment
Action
Campaign (TAC) on Sunday for taking the government to court over the
use of
Nevirapine. "The NEC viewed as unfortunate the court case brought
against government
by the TAC," an African National Congress statement on the weekend's
NEC meeting
said. "The meeting agreed government's approach to mother-to-child
transmission of
HIV is correct, given that so little is currently known about the
longer term effects of the
drug." The Aids lobbyists launched a court application in the Pretoria
High Court last
month to force the government into making Nevirapine available to
HIV-positive pregnant
woman. The NEC also expressed concern over "the extent of
infrastructure and
resources required to administer it (Nevirapine) and the level of
counselling and
monitoring required to ensure its potential benefits are not
reversed". "The ANC is
committed to treatment programmes which are responsible, effective and
sustainable,"
the NEC said. The statement said the meeting endorsed government's
strategy to
combat HIV/Aids. "It reiterated that government's strategy should be
based on the
assumption that HIV causes Aids. "It further supported ongoing
scientific enquiry to
address the many areas in which our knowledge of the syndrome, its
development and
its treatment are still deficient." The NEC welcomed the fact that
HIV/Aids was being
widely debated which created more awareness about the disease.
However, it
cautioned against generating mass hysteria about the pandemic. "Much
of the debate
was characterised by misinformation; oversimplification, particularly
around the
complexities of treatment; and, from some quarters, the wilful
encouragement of
hysteria." The NEC also discussed the new co-operation agreement with
the New
National Party, saying it welcomed the development. "The meeting
viewed co-operation
with the NNP as an important step in the political evolution of South
Africa, and a
welcome opportunity to challenge the racial divisions which
characterise South African
politics." The NEC appointed Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as the ANC's
chief whip in the
National Assembly. He will take over from deputy chief whip Geoff
Doidge who has been
serving as acting chief whip since the resignation of Tony Yengeni in
October. -Sapa