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Raising the issue of rising cases of dubious drug trials in India, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu said she will discuss the issue with Union Health Minister JP Nadda in her meeting with him.
“I am going to strongly put forward this to the Health Minister of India in my meeting with him next week with all proof documents of this dubious act,” Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu told LiveMint.
When asked why she decided to take up this topic, she explained, “I have chosen to highlight the alarming issue of dubious drug trials due to its profound impact on our healthcare sector. As a doctor myself, I am deeply concerned about how these incidents not only jeopardise patient safety but also erode public trust in healthcare professionals. Such unethical practices cast doubt on our profession as a whole, which is why addressing this issue is crucial to maintain the credibility of medical research and ensure the safety and trust of our patients.”
Dr Kanimozhi had earlier this week, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Parliament session, discussed a report by the Ethical Committee of National Institute of Virology (NIV) about the rising cases of dubious drug trials in India.
She also raised concerns regarding the oversight and quality control of clinical trials conducted in the nation, pointing out that a pharmaceutical company had recently appealed to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to look into serious gaps in clinical trials to create a biosimilar product for the treatment of breast cancer.
During her speech in Rajya Sabha, she said that the most important factor in clinical trials is the genuineness of the original product, which is considered the gold standard. Any doubt about the authenticity of the gold standard is bound to raise misgivings about the integrity of the whole trial and the effectiveness of the biosimilar copy being tested.
She said that in order for a company to conduct a clinical trial, it must register with the Central Trial Registry of India.
She said that there was an allegation of trials being conducted four months before the procurement of the gold standard drug from the original manufacturer.
She mentioned that the same pharmaceutical company had contributed significantly through electoral bonds. According to data, 35 pharmaceutical corporations in India have donated around ₹1,000 crore in electoral bonds to political parties, primarily those in power in both the Centre and the States. When these corporations bought the bonds, at least seven of them were under investigation for using substandard drugs.
She urged the Union government not to play with the lives of innocent people by supporting and facilitating those who conduct dubious, unethical drug trials in the country.
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Published: 25 Jul 2024, 03:49 PM IST
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