Pretoria News - July 22, 2000

ILLEGAL TESTS ON SA PROSTITUTES?

US Female Contraceptive Could Kill HI Virus - Claim

Julian Rademeyer
Staff Reporter

A female contraceptive designed by an American biomedical researcher with close links to Project Coast - apartheid's chemical and biological warfare programme - may have been illegally tested on prostitutes in South Africa.

Dr Larry Ford (49), director of Biofem Pharmaceuticals in Irvine, California committed suicide in March this year, three days after a failed assassination attempt on the company's chief executive James Riley (58).

Biofem, which was founded in 1997, had been involved in the development of a "revolutionary" female contraceptive and anti-microbial product which company literature touted as capable of killing various pathogens including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes Aids.

Detective Victor Ray of the Irvine police has told the Pretoria News that testing of the vaginal suppository called Inner Confidence "probably did happen" in South Africa.

He said yesterday investigators probing the Riley murder attempt had received information that the device had also been tested on prostitutes in the United States. "When I asked Riley about it he coughed, looked the other way and said: 'It might have happened.' I'd say it probably did happen."

This theory was also borne out by John M. Kremer, the attorney acting for Dr Ford's mistress Valerie Kesler, who told reporters in May that Dr Ford had carried out clinical trials of the contraceptive on "consenting prostitutes" in South Africa.

Dr Ford is suspected of being the mastermind of the conspiracy to kill Mr Riley. According to Detective Ray, the primary motive appears to have been greed.

"It seems this may have been an attempt to eliminate the president of the company and install new
leadership who would give the go-ahead to market the product in South Africa and Africa."

Prior to the February 28 shooting, Mr Riley rejected a bid by one of the alleged conspirators, Orange County surgeon Jerry Nilsson (71), to buy Biofem and said he would never do business with him.

Dr Nilsson's medical license was revoked in April this year on suspicion that he had molested a number of patients, among them a 14-year-old girl.

Detective Ray said the company had completed the initial development of Inner Confidence but it was nowhere near receiving American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

In its most recent prospectus Biofem maintained that while there were numerous contraceptive devices on the market, its product would not produce the lesions spermicides cause. Inner Confidence was also said to be much safer to use and could severely limit the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

The company claimed investors could expect sales of $400-million a year within five years of the
regulatory approval of the device.

But according to reports in the Orange County Register the company was "bleeding cash", was $4,3-million in debt and "surviving largely on money funnelled through a labyrinth of affiliated companies controlled by Biofem insiders".

Dr Helen Rees, chairman of the South African Medical Control Council (MCC) told the Pretoria News that to her knowledge no applications for a product fitting the description of Inner Confidence had been received by either ethics committees or the MCC.

"Under the present act, any kind of spermicide would have to get approval (for clinical trials) but female condom trials don't have to be approved by the MCC. They must be approved by an ethics committee."
She said sex workers were particularly vulnerable population and studies involving them "have to be handled very carefully".

The FBI launched a "weapons of mass destruction" probe when a search of Dr Ford's home following his suicide uncovered bacteria cultures which cause cholera and typhoid fever. Military grade explosives, automatic weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were also discovered.

According to informed sources FBI investigators are currently in South Africa to examine links between Project Coast and Dr Ford.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that a series of meetings took place at the home of South African trade attaché Gideon Bouwer in Beverley Hills in the mid-1980s at which the procurement of biological weapons are said to have been discussed.

Dr Ford and his alleged co-conspirators in the Riley shooting, Dr Nilsson and businessman Dino D'Saachs (56) apparently attended the meetings.

Former South African Surgeon General Niel Knobel, who became administrative head of Project Coast in 1987, has confirmed that he first met Dr Ford at Mr Bouwer's home.

According to Project Coast scientists Dr Ford gave a secret briefing session at Fort Klapperkop outside Pretoria in June or July 1987 where he demonstrated how to lace teabags, doilies and even a Playboy Magazine with deadly bacteria. "Project Larry", as subsequent developments were dubbed, was abandoned two months later.