NHRC asks AIIMS to respond on drugs trial on babies

New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) The National Human Rights Commission today forwarded a complaint by an NGO to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Secretary, Ministry of Health, on the deaths of babies during clinical trials in the premier institute, and asked them to respond to it within four weeks.

The complaint filed by Uday Foundation, which had sought NHRC's intervention on the issue.

An RTI query by the NGO had revealed that as many as 49 children died during clinical trials of new medicines in AIIMS since 2006.

AIIMS had confirmed that a total of 4,142 children, of whom 2,728 were under the age of one year, enrolled for the clinical trials of new drugs by the Department of Paediatrics since January one, 2006. It had also said none of the deaths were due to any new intervention or adverse drug effect.

The NGO, however, alleged that of the five drugs tried on children in clinical trials, two of them were meant for adults and maintained that it had no faith in the probe panel appointed by the institute.

On receiving its complaint, the NHRC has asked the Institute Director and Health Secretary to respond within four weeks.

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