#1051: David Rasnick

David Rasnick is a chemist and HIV denialist, and has indeed published some papers on protease-related research. Together with Peter Duesberg he is thus one of few HIV denialist with an even remotely close to relevant background, though he has admitted that his research on proteases “had nothing to do with AIDS”, and has elsewhere been associated with numerous inaccurate claims regarding his own background and affiliations.

Rasnick is on the record arguing that HIV testing should be completely outlawed. His most insidious contributions to evil, however, probably consist of his contributions to the Rath Foundation (detailed here, and do read that link), run by Matthias Rath in South Africa, whose goal was to replace antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS patients with Rath’s own vitamin and nutritional supplements, a campaign that has been held responsible for numerous deaths. In particular Rasnick and the foundation were the subject of a lawsuit by the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in South Africa, brought as a result of conducting non-approved clinical trials in which they recruited poor black South Africans with HIV, instructing them not to take effective antiretrovirals and providing them instead with vitamin supplements – the trials resulted in at least five deaths known to TAC, and possibly up to twelve. The South African Cape High Court fortunately ruled against Rasnick and other defendants associated with the Rath Foundation in 2008 (also here). They have not been held responsible for all the people who may have died as aconsequence of following their advice, however.

Together with Duesberg and Harvey Bialy (among others) Rasnick has recently been marketing a new cancer detection system, AnuCyte Cancer detection system, based upon the aneuploidy-basis-of-cancer ideas. It is not a particularly good idea.

Diagnosis: If you ever feel the need to stare deeply into the Abyss, looking at the work of David Rasnick is an idea worth considering. In any case, please take a moment to contemplate his impact on the world.