"Conejillos" en INDIA: Slumdog clinical trials (III)

Drug companies paid as little as 50,000 as compensation to families of volunteers who died during clinical trials for new medicines last year, leading to sharp criticism about the paltry sums being handed out and growing clamour among health groups for more stringent guidelines on new drug trials.

According to government data accessed by a healthcare activist through an RTI query, Germany's Fresenius Kabi paid 50,000 each to the families of two patients who died during clinical trials of its cancer drug paclitaxel while Ahmedabad-based clinical research organisation Veeda paid an identical amount to a patient who died during trials of its drug code-named MT 102.

In India, 483 people died during clinical trials in 2011. But compensation was paid only to 16 volunteers because their deaths were found to be due to clinical trials and not because of other factors such as normal progression of existing illness.

The compensation in most fatalities varied between 50,000 and 3 lakh. Maximum damages of 5 lakh were paid by Pfizer for a patient who lost his life while participating in the study of tascotinib, a rheumatoid arthritis drug.

"An amount of 50,000 for a death victim is disgusting," said Dr Anand Rai, an Indore-based healthcare activist who got the compensation details from the health ministry through an RTI application. (Más)

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INDIA: Slumdog clinical trials (II)