Claim number: 5

Claimant: Rath Health Foundation

Claim date: Nov. 30, 2004

Forum in which the claim was made: Advert in Mail & Guardian

Claim methodology: Vitamins

Frequency with which the claim is made by this claimant: Frequent

Actual claim: Treats AIDS

Plausibility of this claim: Untested and implausible

Responses

• Response no 32: Treatment Action Campaign Court Action on 2008-03-12

Documents relevant to this claim

• High Court Judgement
• Rath Advert in Mail & Guardian

Description

Matthias Rath and Anthony Brink placed adverts in the Mail & Guardian and several other newspapers in which they claimed that vitamins reverse the course of AIDS and that antiretrovirals are toxic. Some of Rath's adverts also told of an unauthorised clinical trial that he carried out.

The TAC and South African Medical Association litigated against Rath as well as the Department of Health for failing to investigate him. After three years of litigation, the Cape High Court interdicted Rath and found that his clinical trials were unauthorised. The court also found that the Department of Health had a duty to investigate him.

This essentially put Rath out of business in South Africa.