The Tragedy of a Failed Experiment

You have got to feel sorry for those 6 men who are now lying in a hospital, two of them, I believe, in a critical condition. They were human guinea pigs in a drug test that went horribly wrong. I can't comment on why things went so wrong for this particular experiment, as my information, comes from the same sources as most peoples, namely the media. No doubt investigations are under way and questions are being raised about the manner in which the trial was conducted and why things went so horribly pear shaped. I feel for these men and their families because they have an agonising journey of uncertainty, which will carry on long after this story fades off the news radar.

The drug that they were trialling does not have a name yet, it is simply calledTGN 1412 which is one in series of drugs that scientists hoped would be a cure for a number of diseases including cancer. Unfortunately the whole thing had a catastrophic outcome and it has once again raised the debate on human and animal medical trials.

I've been thinking about what motivates people to loan their bodies to science. I came up with the advancement of knowledge, the selfless act of being part of a process that will provide a better opportunity for future generations. And I guess for some people, the offer of monetary compensation.

For whatever the reasons, if it weren't for people volunteering to be part of scientific research and experimentation, a lot of us wouldn't have the prolonged quality of life that we do today. Despite being made aware of the possibility of fatalities and errors, they are still willing to participate. It is thanks to these human guinea pigs, that we have new medicines. Testing on animals alone is not a valid measure of accuracy in drug exploration as the human body may pick up potential problems that are not seen in animals. Experimentation on humans is therefore vital to scientific research and we cannot discount the fact that millions of lives have been saved as a result of it.

There is always goings to be risks when it comes to experimentation. But, I'm sure that members of the scientific community as well as those that have previously volunteered for clinical trials of drugs will testify that almost all these trials are held in controlled environments, done with adherence to extremely strict requirements and regulations, and have for the most part been quite successful.

While I will freely admit that I am neither selfless nor brave enough to volunteer my time or body for scientific research, I do salute those brave souls that do. One can only hope that tragedies like this do not repeat themselves.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mark and Lady X, Y or Z

Somewhere between moving countries, getting a job and my life sorted, I lost touch with the family news doing the rounds. When I finally read my emails there was a flurry of excitement and even a blog entry on my cousin Mark. Mark who is in his early forties, still good looking and quite charming in his own way has a new girlfriend. While he hasn't exactly made any announcement about this latest development in his life, the family grapevine has ensured that the news has been suitably spread via email and of course a blog entry. Mark is the eldest of my cousins and was the first in our generation to get married. 12 years of marriage and an expensive divorce later, it seemed like he would not be in a hurry to get back into the dating scene. We all love Mark dearly and this happy news has naturally caused a fair dose of delight. I don't know what his ladyfriend is called, but I hear that she seems nice and makes him happy and that's really all that counts. I think Mark is incr
Read more

Of DoctERRS and MediSIN

One of the things that I genuinely miss about India is the ready availability and good quality of health care services in the country. While this may meet with raised eyebrows, those like myself who have lived (and still live) in India will know the extent of the truth I speak. There are so many doctors in India and many of them are really good. Sadly NZ like some other developed nations is badly lacking in this area. There is a shortage of doctors and healthcare here is really expensive. A reason why I hate being ill and I don't frequent the doctors. Three weeks ago I developed a sore throat which got progressively worse and very painful. So after a week of suffering, I decided to try and be sensible about it and visit my GP. The visit was brief, the examination even swifter and she diagnosed me with a throat and chest congestion. I was put on a course of antibiotics and sent on my merry (well not so merry) way. The cost of this visit including the medication was $85. A couple of
Read more

A Good Victory for Common Sense

It is refreshing to know that good judgement and common sense still prevails in the courts in Britain. I’m referring here to the case of Shabina Begum, the young Muslim girl who took her school, Denbigh High School in Luton, to court over their refusal to allow her to wear a full length Islamic dress called a jilbab. Her claim was that the school acted in "violation of her human rights and denied her right to education". The Law Lords in Britain’s highest court ruled in favour of the school and rightly so. Had the decision been in favour of Shabina, it would force every school in Britain to allow their pupils to dictate to them, what dress code is appropriate for their religion. Further more, it would seriously undermine the authority of schools and be a huge victory for radical religious groups. This case had very little to do with human rights or the right to practice one's religion. It was merely another example of radical thinkers trying to enforce their rule in a sec
Read more