Iranians Claim to Have "Cure for AIDS"

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, claims "giant achievements" in his country, including an Iranian breakthrough in a "cure for AIDS." Yaakov Lappin of Ynet News covered the story released by the Iranian Fars news agency on Saturday.

"The world should know today that the capable Iranian nation, relying on its own youths and scientists, has now conquered the peaks of knowledge and science," Ahmadinejad declared during his speech.

"After seven long years of arduous work, Iranian scientists here on Saturday introduced a herbal medicine which cures Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)," Fars reported.

"The drug named 'IMOD' is completely effective and safe with no proven side effects," Iran's Minister of Health Kamran Bagheri Lankarani claimed during a ceremony held to introduce the AIDS control medicine and acknowledge Iranian researchers' medical achievements.

IMOD is an herbal drug and is the result of a five year research study on 200 patients. It is a 90-day treatment course that boosts the human body's immune system. It requires a two-year follow up.

The remedy will now be tested on thousands of patients again to assess its efficacy.

"Deficiency of the body's immune system reflects a decrease in CD4 cells that lead to appearance of AIDS symptoms," he said, adding that the new drug controls the multiplication of HIV virus and thus helps increasing the CD4 cells.

He made reference to the fact that the herbs used in production of IMOD are completely Iranian native plants. Also, at the ceremony, Lankarani remarked that Iran is the only country in the region that provides free HIV drugs to patients.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Iran's top AIDS expert and Head of the Iranian AIDS Research Center Minoo Mohraz. She said, "A medicine that is used for curing AIDS, should be completely secure and reliable," and this is applied in the new medicine.

"The new medicine's dose is much smaller than that used in anti-retroviral drugs," she said, adding that the immunity system of 65 percent of the patients was completely increased in 21 months and there were no noticeable side effects.

"I believe that the drug should be used for HIV patients whose CD4 is below 350, to prevent them from entering the severe level of AIDS," she stated.

She added that the drug also decreases cell receivers and that results in fewer viruses entering the cells.

In another report by the Islamic Republic News Agency, President Ahmadinejad congratulated the Iranian people for such a significant development, as well as Cuban scientists and researchers who collaborated on the project with the Iranians.

Her termed the Iran-Cuba ties as "very friendly and amicable."

Ahmadinejad also stated that the Iran's achievements belong to all human beings. He wants the world to know that the Iranian nation is a friend to all nations.

"We will not make use of our scientific achievements as a tool to plunder other nations," he added.