The Supreme Court today expressed concern over alleged illegal clinical trial of drugs in the country, saying its “unfortunate” that humans were being treated as “guinea pigs”.
A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha pulled up the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government for not filing their response on PILs alleging large-scale illegal drug trials in the State and other parts of the country.
The bench said, “There has to be some sense of responsibility (on the part of the government).
“Human beings are being treated as guinea pigs. This is unfortunate,” the bench said granting the government and Medical Council of India eight weeks more time to file their replies.
The bench was hearing two PILs filed by a group of doctors and an NGO alleging that illegal and unethical clinical trials were being done on poor persons including juveniles, tribals and Dalits who were used as ‘guinea pigs’ for testing of drugs and vaccines produced by multinational corporations.
The petitioners had also urged the court to order formation a Committee of Experts, consisting of members of civil society especially, the All India Drug Action Network, to examine the present legal provisions concerning clinical trials both in India and abroad and to make recommendations for framing guidelines on the issue.
@Ms.Asha...If the talk is about the drug trials, document doesn't say that company doesn't have any responsibility. The sponsor companies come with a form where they mention all the possible risks that the patient can come across and also all the benefits. It also explains about the insurance and very recently it is also added saying that in case of any mortality or drug/trial related injuries, the sponsor companies will pay for the injury. One more thing, money is not offered to patients. Yes, they are given a nominal amount for their travel needs and also for food on the day of trial visit...Do not over react by simply saying it is illegal etc. You do not know what the case is all about..Right? The incidence is of some small companies in vaccines divisions where this incidence is seen. This do not mean entire trials in India is illegal. Madam if trials are not done we won't have novel medicines in market!
It has become a habit of all MNCs to use human beings for doing medical trials. They target poor people from India as they being uneducated will not know the consequence of what they will be put through.Also they will be asked to sign some documents by which they claim that the companies will not have any responsibility if something happens to them.They exploit uneducated and poor by their situation giving some mere amount and put them through a lot of health hazards. Indian govt atleast with humanity should make stringent laws against this kind of doings like cancelling their licences and penalising them with very huge amounts and also initiate criminal charges.Our leaders just watching such incidents to happen does show their insensitive and inhuman nature towards poor.What is our govt doing till Supreme court has to intervene in this matter. This implies that until a judicial reactivism against such injustice happens our law makers will not even look into such issues.
How they got the caste of victims, or it is just another incident of putting caste behind
every incident being reported in Indian media.
Please Email the Editor