Humans are serving as experimental guinea pigs in India.
Hospitals in parts of India in collaboration with international drug companies are being accused of carrying out drug trials on poverty stricken patients without their knowing consent.
Many of the patients have died, or suffered negative side effects from taking a drug that was only being tested and hadn’t been approved for the market.
The same doctor treated many of the patients and he has been formally charged by the government with receiving illegal payments, taking trips abroad sponsored by drug companies and for testing drug treatments on patients without their consent.
The Doctor's coworker who blew the whistle on the problem, told BBC: “They chose poor, illiterate people who do not understand the meaning of clinical drug trials."
This practice has been known to happen at hospitals across India.
Interestingly, recent reports indicate only 1.5% of drug trial volunteers worldwide are from India. Dr Sandeep Tiwari from King George’s Medical University in India believes that is because ‘people in the West are educated and know what drug trials are. This means we, in India, need to spread awareness about it’,
The largest number of drug trial volunteers live in the United States.
Would you test a drug that is still in development by the drug companies?
