Virodene

Virodene
Vaccine description
TargetHIV/AIDS
Vaccine typeanti-bacterial
Clinical data
Routes of
administration		transdermal patch
Legal status
Legal status
  • rejected


Virodene was claimed to be an HIV/AIDS drug developed in South Africa, but was rejected by the scientific community. Controversy surrounded the research procedures, political interference and the safety and efficacy of the drug itself, the main active ingredient of which is the highly toxic industrial solvent dimethylformamide.[1]

Michelle Olga Patricia Visser, working as a medical technician at Pretoria Hospital (now Steve Biko Academic Hospital), said that she discovered the anti-bacterial properties of dimethylformamide while conducting experiments to freeze animal hearts using this substance. In conjunction with her businessman husband, Jacques Siegfried "Zigi" Visser, she administered the drug to 11 patients without approval. They were rebuked for these actions and the South African Medicines Control Council blocked further human trials.[2] Two cardio-thoraic surgeons at the University of Pretoria, Professor Dirk du Plessis and Dr Kallie Landauer, were also rebuked.[3]

More human trials were conducted in Tanzania in 2000 even after the South African Medicines Control Council ruled that such trials would be unethical and in contravention of the law and refused permission for human trials in 1998. The Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) also rejected proposals for human trials, but the Vissers approached the Tanzania People's Defence Force directly and conducted the trials in military hospitals.[2]

Calls were made for an investigation of South African President Thabo Mbeki's involvement in support or funding of the company.[4]

  1. ^ Sidley, P. (1997). "South African research into AIDS "cure" severely criticised". BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 314 (7083): 771. doi:10.1136/bmj.314.7083.769f. PMC 2126200. PMID 9080992.
  2. ^ a b Mark, Schoofs (2001-07-19). "Tanzanian Military Helped Company Skirt Drug Regulations to Test Virodene". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  3. ^ Staff Writer (12 December 1997). "Who is … Olga Visser?". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Investigate Mbeki: TAC". Health24. Media24. 2007-09-26. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2007-09-27.