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Minister defends drug trials on mentally sick despite fines

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(Bhasker) Minister of state for medical education Mahendra Hardia on Monday justified testing of drugs developed specifically for premature ejaculation on mentally challenged persons. His argument was that sexual problems cause depression and trials are necessary to bring out medicines for cure of such ailments.

Hardia not only defended the doctors who subjected over 200 mentally- challenged patients to drug trials but also gave a contradictory statement on recommendation for action against the accused medical practitioners.

Talking to reporters, Hardia said that there were complaints against 38 doctors that they did not inform about the trials properly. A fine of Rs 5000 was imposed on each of them for hiding the fact. Asked whether the four- member committee on unethical drug trial had recommended any serious action against the guilty doctors, the minister claimed, “neither EOW nor the committee recommended action against any of the doctors involved in the trial.”

In fact, Hardia said, the EOW gave a clean chit to them. However, sources say the EOW had recommended a departmental inquiry against six MY hospital doctors found guilty of conducting illegal drug trials. The investigating agency also pointed out several flaws in legal proceedings to the Central regulatory bodies. Hardia also admitted later that the state did not have any laws to check illegal drug trials and it’s for the Centre to intervene in this matter to curb the practice.

The four- member committee constituted by Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Sharad Pandit had recommended cancellation of registration of the doctors who used mentally challenged patients for drug trials.

The state government imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on 12 Indore- based government doctors on Saturday following the committee’s report. They were found guilty of not maintaining records of tests and failing to provide details to the chief medical and health officer under the Madhya Pradesh Nursing Homes and Clinical Establishments (Registration and License) Act. The committee also explained why it failed to carry out detailed investigation in the mater.

“As per the law, identity of the patients who underwent clinical/drug trials can not be disclosed” said the government statement. The doctors who faced the investigation cited this legal provision and therefore the state government could not approach the patients for probe, it added.
 

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