S. Africa AIDS Groups Fear Effect of Nevirapine Move
Originally published by Reuters Health, March 27, 2002
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) — South Africa's government will appeal for a second time a court ruling stating that it must provide a key antiretroviral agent that cuts the risk of mother-to-child infection, according to the country's health minister.
The latest legal twist on Wednesday drew fresh condemnation from anti-AIDS campaigners, who accuse the government of deliberately hampering efforts to fight AIDS in South Africa.
Nevirapine has been shown to cut the risk of vertical HIV transmission by up to 50%, but the government has so far prohibited its use beyond a pilot programme, saying it is expensive and toxic.
"Our legal representatives are today filing papers with the Constitutional Court," said minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. "We have also indicated that the matter should be treated as a matter of urgency," she said in a statement.
The government had already appealed to the Constitutional Court against a December ruling by the Pretoria High Court saying it had a constitutional duty to widen access to nevirapine. That appeal is due to be heard on May 2 to 3, but the Pretoria court ruled on March 11 and again on Monday that the government should give nevirapine to HIV-infected pregnant women until its main appeal to the Constitutional Court is heard.
The government is now trying once again to suspend that execution order with a second appeal to the Constitutional Court.
"I would like to emphasise that we have no intention of circumventing the courts or simply delaying matters by endless litigation," the minister said. "We stand ready to abide by the final decision of the courts on the execution order."
Anti-AIDS campaigners slammed the new legal challenge. "The effect of the announcement is an appeal on an appeal on an appeal. We are involved in endless litigation and that has the consequence of denying a life-saving medicine to mothers and children," said Mark Heywood, spokesman for the Treatment Action Campaign, the group that launched the original court action.
Tshabalala-Msimang said in her statement that she was appointing a task team to "guide and support the further development of the programme on mother-to-child transmission of HIV within norms and standards that have been endorsed by all provinces." She gave no further details and ministry officials said the precise role of the task team had yet to be specified.
