Date:19/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081960371400.htm

National

Stay all clinical trials on humans: Congress

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday demanded a probe by independent experts into the death of 49 babies during clinical trials for testing new drugs/therapies in the last two and half years at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here.

The information was gathered by an NGO through a Right to Information application.

The party sought a stay on all clinical trials on human beings until the cause of death of each and every baby during clinical trials at the AIIMS was investigated.

139 ongoing trials

“There are 139 ongoing trials on human beings in the country. Pending the probe into the AIIMS trials, let all clinical trials be stopped,” Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said.

While in China there were 98 ongoing clinical trials on human beings, in India, the number was much larger, at 139.

“Obviously there have been violations of the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research.”