Clinical trials on humans have reportedly led to severe illnesses in around 30 people in Guntur.
The practice of testing drugs on humans is governed by strict laws in India, but certain pharma companies do not seem to be too keen on sticking to ethics. Despite the fact that approvals for clinical research on humans are needed from the Indian Medical Association, and from the family of the person on whom the drug is getting tested, an alarming number of perfectly healthy people are being lined up for these procedures - tests that are cloaked under fancy names like "contract research".
Effects of drug trials gone wrong range from mild symptoms like nausea, headaches and stomach aches, to death.
The "human guinea pigs", for their part, are being lured into queueing up for drug trials thanks to the prospect of quick money that can be made from these tests. People are paid anywhere between Rs. 300 per day and Rs. 4,000 for a "complete package" that runs over 2 days.
And the ones who're making the big bucks in this deal are the middlemen, who bring in the patients for a hefty fee.
Meanwhile Andhra Pradesh Health Minister D L Ravindra Reddy denies reports that drugs are being tested on healthy humans, and categorically claims that there is no misuse of drug trials in the state.