Re: Kemron being sold clandestinely - Ngilu

[Guest guest]

Chifu,

I have tried to access the article you refer to (presumably in Kenya

Times)on Minister Ngilu and her comment on KEMRON without much success.

Would you kindly cut and paste a copy so that we can fairly comment on it

after we have actually read it.

And to those of you familiar with the science of pharmaceutics is the Swiss

" Immunoplex-N' to which you refer the same thing as KEMRON? I thought the

latter was scientifically discredited and even dismissed as a hoax in terms

of effectiveness to treat HIV/AIDS quite a number of years ago? But

regardless of the medical worth of that drug, shoudn't this be taken up

legally by

the alledged discoverers as an issue of patent violation without involving

the

ministry of health in such a contentious issue? Or does the ministry have an

interest in reviving the drug for treatment in Kenya? Ed

Kemron being sold clandestinely - Ngilu

Folks,

Is this fair game?

Chifu

http://www.kentimes.com/nwsstory/news3.html

Kemron being sold clandestinely - Ngilu

By Kenya News Agency

KEMRON, an HIV retroviral drug discovered and researched in Kenya

is being sold internationally under a different name and with no

recognition accorded to the Kenyan scientists.

This shocking revelation was made in Geneva, Switzerland, by Mrs

Charity Ngilu, while attending the World Health Assembly.

The drug, which is being marketed by a Swiss company under the

brand name " Immunoplex -N " was first researched at the Kenya Medical

Research Institute (KEMRI) by Kenyan scientists, and given the brand

name KEMRON.

According to the Director of KEMRI Dr Davy Koech, who is

accompanying the minister , the drug was patented in 1991 as a low

dosage drug for vital infections, including HIV,hepatitis and

herpes.The patent holders are Dr Koech ,Prof Arthur Obel and an

American Scientist, Dr ph Cummins.

Mrs Ngilu said that the government would allow the drug to be

marketed in Kenya if due credit was given to the Kenyans of if the

Swiss company could show proof of the research they had done on the

drug.

The minister pointed out that although HIV/AIDs had taken its

toll on the Kenyan population, anti retroviral drugs could prolong

the lives of those infected and improve their quality of life.

The minister said that the government had entered into talks with

donors and expected some money from global funds to tackle the

HIV/AIDS pandemic in Kenya.

Dr Muga ,Director of Medical Services, who is also in the

minister's entourage assured Kenyans and the international community

that no case of the SARS had been reported in Kenya and that the

government was screening people coming into the country from areas

affected by the Virus, to ensure that the country remains SARS free.

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[Guest guest]

Kemron is an oral form of alpha interferon. It is NOT African. It

actually came to Africa via Japan and was originally owned I believe by

Burroughs Wellcome (now the genocidal Glaxo Kline).

It doesn't really work very well. The Nation of Islam here in the U.S.

tried selling it at outrageously high prices to African Americans here

in the U.S., even though it was available inexpensively through Buyers'

Clubs (over 10 years ago). I respect some of the work the Nation has

done, particularly in dealing with drug dealers in some communities--but

this was despicable and stupid.

One early study (pubd 1990) suggested stunning efficacy (Karnofsky score

going from 60 to 100, people sero-reverting to HIV-negative). Subsequent

studies did not bear this out. Indeed, other studies of injectable

alpha interferon arent so hot and may cause loss of CD4 cells, one of

the compicating factors in the management of HIV and Hepatitis C

coinfection. See the article below.

M.

***

KEMRON (IMMUNEX)

Prepared by A. Majchrowicz

Spring 1994

Kemron is a form of low-dose oral alpha interferon alpha (IFN-alpha)

that has been researched and used by some as a treatment for HIV/AIDS.

Alpha interferon is a cytokine the body produces in response to viral

infections which helps to regulate the immune system. Three brands of

alpha interferon exist: Roferon-a, Intron-a, and Alferon-a, and are

approved for the treatments of Kaposi's Sarcoma, hairy cell leukemia,

genital warts, and certain forms of chronic hepatitis. While these forms

of alpha interferon are indictable and are used in high doses, Kemron is

a low-dose oral formulation.

The use of Kemron became an extremely controversial topic in 1990 when

researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) described

people with HIV/AIDS becoming symptom free and some HIV-negative after

using Kemron. American researchers were called racist for questioning

the results of this African study. This soon became a treatment option

driven by politics as opposed to science.

Mechanism of Action

When used in high doses, alpha interferon has proven therapeutic

benefits. Exactly how alpha interferon works remains a mystery. Research

suggests that alpha interferon may provide clinical benefits through

regulating the immune system, inhibiting viral replication, and

suppressing cell growth. One or all of these activities may contribute

to the therapeutic effect of alpha interferon.

How Kemron works, if at all, remains a greater mystery. Most researchers

think that such small doses used will not have any therapeutic effect.

In addition, most researchers think that alpha-interferon must be

injected and will not even be absorbed if taken orally.

Studies

Several studies have been conducted using Kemron or various forms of the

low-dose oral formulation. However, only one extremely controversial

study claims that people with HIV/AIDS benefit from this therapy. In

fact, claims have been made of seroreversion (people with HIV becoming

HIV-negative).

The original study, conducted by Dr. Davy K. Koech of the Kenya Medical

Research Institute in Nairobi, enrolled 40 HIV-infected individuals, all

but two with symptoms. The claim was made that 8 of the 40 patients

enrolled became HIV-negative. This study also reported substantial

increases in CD4 cells and the disappearance of symptoms.

According to a report in AIDS Treatment News, many of the patients in

this study already had high CD4 cell counts. It was reported that the

median CD4 count of the 40 patients before the initiation of therapy was

above 500. As high as eighteen patients (almost half of those enrolled)

had CD4 cell counts over 700 with an average of over 1000. Many of the

symptoms reported by the forty individuals were very general ones such

as weight loss, fever, diarrhea, fatigue, etc., and may not have been

related to HIV/AIDS but to other minor infections. This report suggests

that these patients may have eventually recovered without any treatment.

There was no control group to compare with the treatment group.

Subsequent studies have not been able to duplicate these results. The

African Regional Office of the World Health Organization organized a

multi- center non-controlled study of Kemron. 108 people were enrolled

in this 28 day study which provided very little information due to the

poor study design. There were no seroreversions and no major

improvements equivalent to the original study. Another four week study

with 32 patients demonstrated temporary minor CD4 increases.

Dr. Wilbert Jordan, a Los Angeles physician, reports positive results

using low-dose oral alpha-interferon. However, in looking at the data in

some of his studies, the numbers of patients enrolled are very small and

the CD4 cell increases not very significant. He reports that " Blacks in

this study were more likely to experience an increase in CD4 count than

other ethnic groups. "

Search Alliance, a community-based clinical trial group in Los Angeles

conducted an eight week study of low-dose oral alpha-interferon (Kemron

brand was not used). 167 patients were enrolled. No significant CD4 cell

count improvements were reported. However, some individuals did report

feeling better.

While several others have already demonstrated no therapeutic benefit

from using low-dose oral alpha-interferon, the World Health Organization

finally reported the findings of their large placebo-controlled study at

the International HIV/AIDS Conference in Berlin. 112 patients were

evaluated in this 60 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled

study. Patients had to be symptomatic with less than 300 CD4 cells.

Those who received alpha-interferon had an increase of CD4 cells which

went back down to their original level or below by 36 weeks. Overall, at

the end of 60 weeks, there was no significant difference between the

group that received placebo versus the group that received low-dose oral

alpha-interferon. In fact, one of the presented reported a trend toward

decreased CD4 cells and shorter survival for those who received the

low-dose oral alpha-interferon.

Availability

[Deleted; no longer available since this was written]

REFERENCES

AIDS Research Advisory Committee, National Institutes of Allergy and

Infectious Disease, Executive Summary, April 1992.

e-Ruta, G, Hodel, D: Interferon Redux. Notes From the Underground #5,

September, 1990.

, J: Oral Interferon: Hope or Hype? AIDS Treatment News #101, April,

1990.

Jordon, WC: The effects of natural human alpha-interferon on HIV positive

patients. II UCLA AIDS Institute Symposium. January, 1994.

Katabira. E, Sewankambo, N, Mugerwa, R: Low-dose oral interferon-alpha in

the management of symptomatic HIV-1 infection. IX Int. Conf on HIV/AIDS,

Berlin, #PO-B26-2056. June, 1993.

Senterfitt, W: Search Alliance releases data on oral alpha-interferon: No

clear benefit yet found. Being Alive, December, 1990.

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