India becomes a global hub for clinical drug trials

India is becoming a hub for clinical trials. A drug trial in India costs one-third of that in the UK or USA. From five Clinical Research Organisations (CROs) a decade ago, the country now boasts of 50.
The people opting for clinical trials are mostly ailing, and cannot afford to pay for their treatment. The cost of medical care in India is becoming increasingly prohibitive.
A poor person with a serious affliction like cancer or AIDS cannot hope to consult a good doctor, leave alone pay for hospitalisation and medication over a long period.
For them clinical trials are a godsend. Volunteers get free care, free medicines and the promise of better health. But more than anything else, it is the satisfaction of furthering the cause of modern medicine which motivates volunteers.
It is not just the sick who are opting for it. The offer of money is luring even the healthy for bio-equivalence studies, where clinical research organisations evaluate the standard of generic drug against patented drug.
Some of the CROs pay Rs 4,000 a day, which is more than what many of those volunteering for such stu-dies earn in a whole month. Can you blame them for agreeing to be guinea pigs?
In a country where thousands die of malnutrition and lack of medical attention, clinical trials should be regarded as opportunity not exploitation.
Even for the not so hard up, it could be an attractive proposition. The money offered is good which makes it worth the risk. It's like working in any hazardous industry.
Here, at least, treatment is assured if something goes wrong, which is not the case with those working in mines and quarries.
As long as it is an informed choice and trials are carried out in special clinical research wards under expert medical supervision, there is nothing unethical about it.
What we need to ensure is that the volunteer is not short-changed. For that the terms and conditions of the contract should be carefully drafted and strictly adhered to.