While the Supreme court has severely reprimanded the Centre for its complacent attitude towards illegal clinical trials of untested drugs on humans in the country, doctors have contended that it is impossible to analyse the viability of the drugs to cure unless tried on human beings.
Recently, a three-member expert committee comprising Dr V M Katoch, secretary (Department of Health Research) and Director General, ICMR; Dr P N Tandon, president, National Brain Research Centre, Department of Biotechnology; and Dr S S Aggarwal, former Director, Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow submitted a report, which amongst other things suggested a gradual phasing out of clinical trials on humans.
However, experts in the medical field say it is absurd to even think of introducing a new drug without conducting clinical trials on humans. “It is safer to test it on one or a few lives than endangering the lives of the masses,” says a senior physician on condition of anonymity.
According to Dr Suniti Solomon, founder-director, Y R Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE), it is impractical to think of developing drugs for diseases like HIV-AIDS without first conducting clinical trials on humans. “We test them on patients and they willingly come forward for it. They know that this could be their last chance and are prepared to go to any extent to try it out,” she says.
In fact, she points out that this trend has nothing to do with the economic status of the patients.
An HIV positive patient from a lower income group, who spoke to Express on the condition of anonymity, says, “I know I am being treated like a lab animal. They try new drugs on me and place me ‘under observation’ for reactions. I feel like a specimen under a microscope. However, I do it for the sake of other patients. Even if I don’t survive the trials, I hope someone else will be benefited by the clinical trials being conducted on me.”