India: Mystery shrouns clinical trials in state

December 11, 2008

It’s a ruse most drug firms use: Run clinical trials
in the guise of running bio-equivalence or bio-availability trials, according to
the members of a government medical college ethical committee, which approves trials.

In bio-equivalence tests, the companies are expected to find out similarities between a new drug to the one already in the market. While these tests do not need approval of ethical committees, clinical trials should be conducted only under the supervision and approval of ethical committees, an Osmania Medical College professor said. (Times of India)