No clinical trials from today

It is estimated that of the 1,500 clinical research trials being carried out in the State presently, 60 to 70 per cent are conducted in Bangalore alone.

Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas told mediapersons here on Tuesday that the trend of treating patients like guinea pigs was increasing alarmingly, especially, due to lack of guidelines to regulate drug trials or researches in the country.

The department has decided to set up a two-member expert committee to study and frame guidelines to regulate and re-organise clinical drug trials in all medical colleges and hospitals of the State. The panel is expected to submit its report in three months and the ban will be in effect till the Government takes action as per the report.

He said: “Doctors in both private and government hospitals were found irregular as they were being lured into signing confidentiality agreements with multi-national pharma companies for carrying out these trials.”

“The companies allure doctors by sponsoring their junkets to foreign countries. In one instance, a doctor was found missing six times over several months, as he was away on different junkets to foreign countries.

“Until proper guidelines are framed, all clinical trials will be suspended,” he added. Officials at the Department said the Indian Council of Medical Research had made no comments on the protection of patients or the protection of the Intellectual Property rights. The officials also said there was no transparency in the process.

The research companies are using the research data, which is confidential, to trade with the international pharma companies and make money, said an official.

The $1.3-trillion global pharma business, which is equivalent to India's GDP, has been exploiting India's human resources, the officials added.