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Parexel Destroys Immune Systems, Not Liable
A reader writes: "The four TGN1412 test victims learned recently that they have no detectable t-cells, which makes it "likely" (read certain) they will suffer from numerous diseases and truncated lifespans. It has been determined that Parexel was negligent in its aftercare of the victims. The victims have already suffered severe injuries such as gangrene requiring the amputation of all toes and three fingers (without toes you cannot remain standing or walk, btw) and endured unimaginable agony. But it seems Parexel, despite having the moral responsibility for the outcome of its incompetence and the financial ability to pay proper restitution (estimated yearly revenue of $750 million) is ignoring the victims and using the legal system to avoid liability. The lessons are that $4000 is not worth risking your life over, that that is what you are doing if you are foolish enough to volunteer for medical testing whatever promises you receive not withstanding, and that if you are so foolish you will be left to die by the company responsible without legal recourse should things go wrong. In other words, only an ignorant would sign up for medical testing. I predict a decline in voluntary test subjects, and a rise in the use of prisoners and other 'disposable' human subjects."
Actually a lot of drug testing is happening in India these days. Lots of capable doctors there and lots of people they consider disposable. Good times.
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What part of "testing" didn't the subjects understand before they volunteered?
I'm not trying to troll, honest. But injecting something brand new into your body before anyone knows exactly what it does is fantastically dangerous. That's probably why you have to sign the waver that's longer than your arm, I'd imagine.
Still, IMHO the company should help these poor people out even though they don't legally have to. I'm sure the reason why they're not isn't greed so much as a fear of litigation. If they pay them any money, that looks like an admission of guilt.
Whole situation with liability and lawsuits in this country these days pretty much sucks. It hurts more people than it helps.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Um... yes, you can walk/stand without toes. Had a principal at one of my elementary schools who had his toes blown off by a lightning strike. Yeah, he walked funny, but he walked.
And, when I was in Korea, the bunker I worked in had a blast door malfunction. About a two-ton steel blast door dropped unexpectedly and chopped off a commander's feet... partially. Got the toes of one foot and about half of the other foot. After he recovered, he turned down the 100% disability retirement and returned to his commander's post.
Of course, whenever he went up or down stairs, a lieutenant would unobtrusively position himself on the downhill side of the stairs just in case, but the guy stayed in the Air Force and continued commanding. Big huge brass balls, he must have had.
Skivvy Niner? Email me!
HEY! Look left just ONE MORE TIME!
But could we tone down the flamebait in the submissions a notch?
People volunteer for medical testing all the time. Most of the time, nothing (serious) goes wrong. Yes, this time, something fucked up big time; a regrettable tragedy, and certainly cause to examine the rules and regulations surrounding testing on humans. But the reason it was such big news is that it's such a rare occurence. If it happened all the time, it wouldn't have been headline news.
I refuse to believe that this was the best submission on the subject. The submittor is entitled to his opinions, of course, but the place for those opinions is down here with the rest of us, not on the front page.
Still, got to keep those ad impressions coming somehow, I guess.
It's official. Most of you are morons.
This was obviously something the submitter put in, and it's pretty disgusting that it would make the front page. If this were a comment I have a feeling it would have been modded down to oblivion. How many times is it necessary to call these people ignornat and foolish?
I work with various clinical trials in the UK and interest in them actually *increased* following this incident - this was because a lot of people did not realise that you could get paid for doing them.
I think the parent was a bit harsh in saying "only an ignorant would sign up for medical testing" - you should not sign up for clinical trials if you are ignorant. This compound had not previously been tested on humans, so yes there were large risks - but many trials are involving already "human tested" compounds and are merely changing the dose (such a influenza vaccine trials trying diluted doses to see if they are effective). As with everything you have to use your discretion - personally I will participate in trials only if I calculate the risk is minimal to zero, but I still will (admittedly I have the medical and scientific knowledge to make that assessment). I have recently taken part in a flu vaccine trial testing diluted doses - not for the money - but because trials like this are necessary to further our knowledge and ultimately benefit us all.
As long as it means I get effective drugs without risking my neck as a test subject, it is in my own best interest to pursue this method of testing.
And, no, this post is not a troll. Deem me "cold-hearted" if you will, but I am most serious in admitting my joy that others will be exposed to the danger while I am able to reap the benefits.
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According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
3. Stockholders in said businesses want more and more money so the businesses can't afford to take personal responsibility for the things they do to people
If you have a 401k or a pension plan you are a stockholder.
4. The majority of all politicians in the United States government is unabashedly comprised of stockholders and they make the laws
Most Americans are "unabashedly" stockholders.
You are morally responsible for eating too much fast food, not the people who sold it to you. Take responsibility for your own actions. Stop being a douche.
Free as in speech, free as in beer, or free as in lunch?
The drug was tested in mice. And in primates.
Drugs often have different effects in humans than in test animals. There are a number of disease we can sucessfully treat in lab rats that we can't in humans because the biology is different. Sucessful tests in animal studies is merely an inidcator that a drug may work in humans, it's no guarantee. Likewise, some drug that may work well in treating a human disease may never make it to clinical trials, because the animals it was tested on had a bad reaction to it due to their different biology.
The big screwup in this trial was giving it to a number of patients, for the first time, only minutes apart. This is NEVER supposed to be done with a new drug. (There are clinical trials going on one floor above me right now. Everyone in the place shudders when they heard these idiots did that). You always test which you think is a very small dose (like these poeple did, thinking it was 500x less than what they thought would be a safe dose from the animal models), then you wait for a few days to make sure there are no major reactions to it. Injecting numerous people within minutes is crazy. If they'd merely wated an hour before trying to inject the 2nd person, they would have stopped, and there would only be one person with a toasted immune system right now.
There will always be occasional bad results in drug trials. This one was greatly exacerbated by the incompetence of those performing it.
This submission is absolutely disgusting. There is no reason to insult the victims of such a terrible tragedy. Furthermore, the people that take part in these things generally do so because they are in desperate need of money. To call them ignorant and say people who do such things deserve what they get is perhaps itself the most ignorant thing I've seen on Slashdot (and no, I'm not new here). Not only are these people just doing what they need to do to provide for their families, but they're also allowing all us of to live better lives through what they're doing.
This is such ignorant, offensive crap, that I'd support banning the submitter from the site. There is no place here for such rampant stupidity, insensitivity, and complete lack of basic reasoning skills. Furthermore, Hemos needs to be kicked in the balls for permitting such a thing. If such nonsense was posted as a comment here, that would be terrible enough, but that this is being put forth as if it were fact (or anything other than delusional ranting for that matter) is insane and beyond irresponsible.