Ah yes - after searching for George Mary Carter's nemesis, "FShaw",
it would appear that it was Mr. Shaw who first exposed Carter's
involvement with Arkopharma France when he conspired to
import and poison gay men with HIV in the USA - here
are the FACTS as published by Mr. Shaw:

ACT UP SAN FRANCISCO FACT SHEET: SPV-30

SPV-30 is an herbal "extract" of the Boxwood evergreen tree, Buxus
semperivirens. The manufacturer of SPV-30, a French company known as
Arkopharma, has been disciplined by the FDA for making false claims for
its many other natural products. It appears that SPV-30 is not an
exception and SPV-30 promoters are making plenty of wonderful claims for
SPV-30, comparing it to AZT, claiming reduced viral load, increases in
CD4+ cells, and fabulous changes in other markers of immunity. SPV-30
has not been tested on anyone with CD4s under 250/mm3.

The head cheerleader for SPV-30 in the U.S. is Dr. Beth Mestman. Dr.
Mestman is NOT a medical doctor - she is a chiropractor - and her
unqualified misleading use of the title "doctor" is not merely unethical
- it is a deliberate and fraudulent misrepresentation. "Dr." Mestman
claims that French doctor Luc Montagnier is involved in the French
trials of SPV-30. This appears to be a false claim, and Dr. Montagnier
is reportedly embarrassed by the misuse of his name to endorse this
treatment. Mr. David Stokes, the primary spokesperson in the Bay Area
for SPV-30, promotes the use of SPV-30 by attacking the HIV status of
persons who disagree with him - stating that HIV-negative individuals
have "the luxury of time to wait for the French study results two years
from now" (Bay Area Reporter, 5/11/95, pg 8). Apparently, Mr. Stokes
subscribes to the failed "panic and plunge" theory of HIV treatment -
panic over your immune status and plunge into every treatment that comes
along.

                    Is SPV-30 Safe for HIV Disease?
Arkopharma and it's SPV-30 promoters in the U.S. make the irresponsible
claim that SPV-30 is non-toxic. The claim of non-toxicity is based on
Arkopharma's study of rats using SPV-30 for 1, 14 and 28 days. THIS
CLAIM OF SAFETY IS CONTRADICTED BY THE HERBAL AND MEDICAL LITERATURE.
The Boxwood plant has well known toxicities and has been reported by
several herbal texts to be poisonous. There have been reports of animals
dying after eating the leaves of this plant (The Herb Book, p133). If
taking SPV-30, PLEASE ADVISE YOUR PHYSICIAN that the steroidal alkaloids
of Boxwood have been tested in animal models, and exhibit a central
cholinergic action, explaining instances of convulsions reported in the
herbal literature (A Modern Herbal, Vol I, p121). The compounds in this
plant are known teratogens - with a high risk of birth defects - DO NOT
USE IN PREGNANCY.

It is difficult to determine the safety of SPV-30 - since the extract
(concentrate), and parts of the plant used in SPV-30, remain a "trade
secret." However, the therapeutic dosage of unconcentrated Boxwood is
around 1 gram of the herb per day, more or less, depending on the parts
of the plant used. Traditionally, Boxwood has been used as a purgative
and cathartic (inducing vomiting and diarrhea), and as an diaphoretic
(causing sweating) for rheumatism and secondary syphilis. The leaves and
bark have been used to expel worms.

                       How Does SPV-30 Work?

The bioactive compounds in SPV-30 are steroidal alkaloids (cyclobuxine,
etc.). Arkopharma's in vitro studies show that SPV-30 "targets the
reverse transcriptase enzyme", comparing SPV-30 to AZT. THE ARKOPHARMA
STUDIES CLAIM THAT SPV-30 IS AN INHIBITOR OF CELL PROLIFERATION
COMPARABLE TO CYCLOSPORINE. According to Harrison's Principles of
Internal Medicine (p 1502), such immunosuppressive drugs are associated
with lymphoproliferative malignancies, especially B cell lymphoma
(non-Hodgkin's and Burkitt's lymphoma). Arkopharma claims that SPV-30
inhibits the production of TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and IL-2
(interleukin-2). While suppressing the body's ability to control
infections, modest increases in CD4 cells reported in the Phase I SPV-30
trial are most likely due to interference with apoptosis (programmed
cell death), in which HIV-infected cells are preserved, rather than
killed by the normal immune response.

SPV-30 is immunosuppressive, and like AZT, any benefits claimed for it
must remain an article of faith.

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