Days after a probe was ordered into alleged illegal clinical trials at the government-run Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad, officials of Telangana's Health Department on Sunday said that the tests were conducted in accordance with the norms.
This after allegations that some doctors at the hospital colluded with pharma companies to conduct trials in violation of all norms.
Speaking to reporters, Director of Medical Education K Ramesh Reddy said volunteers were not made a part of a clinical trial until they gave their consent and added that the process was vetted by an Ethics Committee, as per the law.
"People need not panic as none of those drugs are used in out-patient or in-patient treatment," he added.
Ramesh Reddy also warned doctors against “defaming their institutions” through false allegations.
Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Lalu Prasad had accused the head of Pediatrics, Ravi Kumar, of conducting clinical trials without any permission. The latter, however, denied the allegations and said the trials are being conducted with all the required permission.
Niloufer is Telangana biggest government-run hospital for children and also deals with maternity cases. Patients from various parts of the state and even neighbouring states come here for the treatment.
Clinical trials are the government-approved method of testing new drugs that manufacturers want to introduce in the market. Depending on the drug and the company testing it, human volunteers are usually paid to be part of the experiments.
While phase 1 involves testing on animals, phase 2 and 3 trials check for the first time if a drug is safe and effective in humans.
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