When medical trials go wrong...

[Abakua]

Six Australian men are fighting for their lives this morning after a first human stage trial into an as yet unamed drug went horribly pearshaped.

A cautionary tale for anyone looking for "easy money".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4807042.stm

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Assuming they were volunteers, they should have known the risks when they signed up.

[loveme4whoiam]

Indeed - I think it must have been a slow newsday as the media have gone mental with this. Poxed bastards, trying to make out that all medical testing is fraudulent and evil :angry:. Bet the bastards aren't going to complain when they go down to the chemist to get their latests presciptions though :angry

[TomRK1089]

I have to agree with NoXion: they volunteered and accepted the risks.

Of course, now if this company went ahead and produced the drug anyway, then there'd be a problem.

[red team]

Yes, but assuming the fact that most of us are advocating a equitable society where poverty is a thing of the past then how are we going to have willing medical volunteers taking such foolhardy risks?

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Why not offer it to criminals as an alternative to a short spell in a local jail? It sounds like a good way of allowing them to repay their debt to society.

[Abakua]

"He looks like the Elephant man" - said the girlfriend of one of the men.

I don't think anyone would choose this as a career. Perhaps medical trials should be random like jury service, or maybe the fatcat CEO's of the powerful drugs companies should try their own medicine first.

[redstar2000]

This is "scary stuff", people.

As a rule, the people who volunteer to take part in trials for a new drug are people who are already sick...and for whom existing drugs have not helped.

They're hurting...so they say to themselves, "what the hell, I can't be any worse off -- the worst that can happen is that this new drug won't help either."

Good enough...if "big pharm" was interested in "helping people" rather than profit.

As things stand, the major pharmaceutical corporations want to get their "new drugs" on the market as fast as possible...and if this means "skipping a few tests" or even faking some results, then they'll do it!

Most of the time, they "get away" with it...the "new drug" actually works or at least it doesn't make people even sicker.

But sometimes, it blows up in their face! :o

And people die!

The thing is, that's just "a cost of doing business" in their eyes...just an expense line like building a new lab or a big annual bonus for the CEO.

Whether they cure or kill don't mean shit to those guys; they're in the business to make money.

You may want to keep that in mind before you ever volunteer to test a "new drug".

http://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/123.gif

[Chrysalis]

Pharmaceutical business activities are always a good topic in ethics because they really do create a huge impact on the way we think, starting with the test subjects and the population in general, the vulnerable: the poor, unhealthy masses.

So, some sort of reasoning must go into the question of who should be the guinea pigs when testing dangerous drugs, especially. And of course, there's the question of pro-active medical care: should we always resort to medication and drugs, that is, the after-the-fact care, or should we put more effort in educating the masses of the alternatives that do not involve pharmaceutical stockholders coffers.

It is true, as redstar says, that one of the most, if not the most, important considerations about "medical drugs" is how much the stockholders make. And so, some "calculations" of mistakes (fatally killing those who use these drugs) must go into the equation: what mistakes would not kill the drug company, and what mistakes they can eat.

Chilling!

[TomRK1089]

RS2K is absolutely correct when he says that the pharmocutical companies of today will actively cover up deaths during testing, or other serious side effects.

For instance, Wellbutrin: their official site says it can cause suicidal thoughts and tendancies in teens and adults, yet is still marketed as an antidepressant. What's worse, however, is that doctors increase the amount of fucked-upness: they prescribe it for totally unrelated illness or for instances such as trying to quit smoking. Does anyone have a brain anymore?

Or Paxil--the even-better-than-Prozac-drug, except you can't stop using it without terrible withdrawal. Again, some users had suicidal thoughts or even killed themselves.

The problem is that the FDA has become a big, freakin' rubber stamp. And the drug corps have too many lobbyists in Washington, too.

[Kia]

I have to agree with TomRK1089. The FDA might as well not even exist. My friend was using Acutane (very strong anti-acne medication) when he suddenly commited suicide. Not one person i know thought he was the kind of person who would hang himself. Acutane has been implemented in multiple suicides yet no action has been taken to remove the drug from the market. The FDA and EPA are both COMPLETELY corrupt and useless.

Whats interesting is that the company that ran the tests was not by the company that developed the drug but an American company named Parexel. I wouldnt be surprised if parexel knew more about the side effects caused by the drug and probably rushed ahead with testing in order to get a better PR rep among drug companies. I cant even begin to imagine how many incidents occur each year in which a volunteer is substantially harmed.

[Commie Rat]

Just like in fight club, the guys equation, costs over deaths = recall.

http://adbusters.org/metas/psycho/prozacspotlight/

[dusk]

I think that the pharmaceutical industry does anything for money and power!

I&#39;ts an evil industry for the most parts. <_<

[Face the music]

And of course, there&#39;s the question of pro-active medical care: should we always resort to medication and drugs, that is, the after-the-fact care, or should we put more effort in educating the masses of the alternatives that do not involve pharmaceutical stockholders coffers

That would be so if the investment was there for the people to remain healthy. But the vast amount of money is made out of keeping us in perpetual need of that which keeps their pockets full.

Interestingly, some years back - the big pharma names were offering money for people&#39;s knowledge in herbology in Eastern Europe. Now there&#39;s directives to be put to actually ban any herbal substances made by anybody else but the cartels. Makes you wonder.


As a rule, the people who volunteer to take part in trials for a new drug are people who are already sick...and for whom existing drugs have not helped.

They&#39;re hurting...so they say to themselves, "what the hell, I can&#39;t be any worse off -- the worst that can happen is that this new drug won&#39;t help either."

Or people desperate for money. I have had a friend who when in need of fast money would surrender himself for these trials. He was normally a health superfreak. But the desperation for money when in dire need had made him risk it. A day of it was rewarded by a sum a whole shared house couldn&#39;t put up in half a year.

[piet11111]

any dirt on paroxetine or Seroxat ?
that is the drug subscribed to me but i have been without results with every medicine i ever used (with the exeption of anti-biotics)