Clinical Trials- Trial by Hire
Down To Earth|October 1, 2017

Laissez-faire in clinical research has unleashed a ruthless profit-making machine blind to notions of justice or equity. It is time to rein in Big Pharma

Rakesh Kalshian
Clinical Trials- Trial by Hire

IN EARLY 2012, a promising experimental antidepressant failed to make any impression on American patients in last-stage trials, forcing its developer, a small US drug company called Targacept, to call off further research on the drug. The fiasco came as an unexpected shock especially as the drug, labelled TC-5214, had earlier passed with flying colours in trials on Indian patients.

As Targacept and AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish pharma giant that had agreed to pay as much as US $1.24 billion for exclusive rights to the drug, cursed their luck and licked their wounds, the episode raised fresh stink about the murkiness surrounding clinical trials. In an angry article for thestreet.com, Adam Feuerstein, a much-respected enfant terrible of the drug industry, put the entire blame for the Targacept disaster on offshore trials: “Never trust clinical data from India. Clinical trials conducted in Russia aren’t any more credible, so don’t trust data from there either.”

He might have added to the rogue gallery more countries from Asia and Eastern Europe, like China, Bangladesh, Poland, and Ukraine, which have become hotbeds of clinical trials for Western drug companies in the past two decades. Reliable data on offshore trials are notoriously hard to get because drug companies are not required to report them, but just to give you some idea about the offshore clinical trial mushroom, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the number of trials for drugs meant for the American market rose from a modest 271 in 1990 to a staggering 6,485 in 2008, a spike of over 2,000 per cent! And early in September, an investigation by an online health paper called statnews.com revealed that 90 per cent of new US drugs approved this year were tested at least in part outside the US and Canada.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DOWN TO EARTHView all
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Down To Earth

A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

time-read
3 mins  |
November 01, 2024
DIGGING A DISASTER
Down To Earth

DIGGING A DISASTER

Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 01, 2024
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Down To Earth

REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

time-read
3 mins  |
November 01, 2024
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
Down To Earth

MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE

As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production

time-read
4 mins  |
November 01, 2024
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Down To Earth

Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?

Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag

time-read
4 mins  |
November 01, 2024
TROUBLED WOODS
Down To Earth

TROUBLED WOODS

Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 01, 2024
BLINDING GLOW
Down To Earth

BLINDING GLOW

The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 01, 2024
GROUND REALITY
Down To Earth

GROUND REALITY

What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?

time-read
6 mins  |
November 01, 2024
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
Down To Earth

GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC

On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 01, 2024
Vinchurni's Gandhi
Down To Earth

Vinchurni's Gandhi

A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara

time-read
2 mins  |
November 01, 2024