The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) constituted a five-member committee on Friday to probe the allegations related to illegal clinical trials at hospitals and other research centres in the state.
IMA former national vice-president and former state president Dr T.N. Babu Raveendran is the chairman of the panel and Dr V Mohanan Nair the convener.
The members of the committee are Dr K. Mohanan and Dr A.V. Jayakrishnan. It would submit its report to the IMA by September 30.
Addressing the media here, eminent oncologist Dr V.P. Gangadharan, IMA Kochi chapter president Dr Abraham Varghese and doctors from AIMS and other hospitals said that a scare was being created in the society in the name of alleged deaths over clinical trials.
This scare, they said, was unwarranted. “Only Phase III clinical trials are being conducted in India as part of introducing medicines in the Indian market while the more important and allegation-prone Phase II trials are not conducted in the country.”
“The Phase I is animal study and phase II is about testing the dose and toxicity of a drug whereas Phase III trials are about determining the efficacy of a drug, comparing it with the current standard treatment.
It’s done after ensuring that the drug is safe and done as a clinical trial,” said Dr Subrahmania Iyer, head and neck oncologist from AIMS.
The doctors said clinical trials were essential for the advancement of the medical branch and there should be awareness regarding it in the society.
“The hospitals conducting such trials have ethics committees and scientific committees which are having members from outside those hospitals. No patient is included in the trials without his/her consent,” the doctors said.
They said that if anybody was found committing a crime, he or she should be punished.