Multi-layered clinical trial scandals spanning government hospitals, private research organisations, and pharmaceutical firms are rapidly coming to light in Ahmedabad, revealing a pattern of unethical medical testing, financial impropriety, and regulatory failures.
At the centre of this storm are damning revelations about how poor and uninformed patients are being exploited, permissions forged, and trial protocols disregarded, all to add a few more zeroes to the perpetrators bank balances.
In a latest report, two private, city-based Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) have come under intense scrutiny following a confidential city crime branch report flagging multiple violations during drug trials.
The report, forwarded to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) health department and the Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), described how agents recruited volunteers with cash promises of Rs 20,000 or more, often without informing them of the drugs’ risks.
One agent reportedly underwent 40 trials himself while recruiting dozens of others. Volunteers were herded from districts including Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar to trial sites in Prahladnagar, Panjrapole, and Gota — their data shared over WhatsApp.
Many participants were made to give thumb impressions on English forms they couldn’t understand, and some were reportedly warned that if they died, the company would not take responsibility.
Unlicensed private software
The crime branch also flagged the use of unlicensed private software for storing volunteer data and noted that drug history, illnesses, and side effects were not properly recorded.
According to a report published by a national daily, in some cases, up to 450 ml of blood was taken, despite participants being told it would be 180 ml. There were no proper medical follow-ups for health issues post-trials, and agents received extra money for bringing in new participants.
A letter dated September 22 from AMC to the FDCA reportedly endorsed the police’s findings and called for immediate action.
The matter is now officially with the FDCA.
The revelations shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Remember the VS Hospital scam
The episode involving S4 Research Pvt Ltd, a patient recruitment firm, which allegedly signed a 25-year MoU with Vadilal Sarabhai (VS) Hospital, one of Gujarat’s largest government-run hospitals, for clinical trials without any official clearance, is too fresh to warrant re-telling.
Documents accessed by Vibes of India confirmed that the MoU, effective from November 29, 2024, was entirely bogus. Signatures were forged, and neither the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) nor the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) were informed. A flagrant violation of clinical trial norms in India.
Worse, over 500 poor patients were drawn into these trials without informed consent. “100% of the patients subjected to the unauthorised clinical trial were poor,” councillor Rajashree Kesari, who helped expose the scam, had revealed.
Vibes of India had also reported that doctors at VS Hospital pushed poor patients towards “very good quality, new-age private medicines,” falsely telling them that government stock was unavailable. These patients, like hundreds of others, were unaware they were participating in clinical research.
We may recall that a parallel investigation into 65 human clinical trials at the AMC-run Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai General Hospital revealed that 15 doctors had allegedly siphoned off Rs 1.87 crore in trial funds into their personal accounts.
Trials still in their early phases were halted immediately, and seven upcoming studies, though backed by signed agreements, were cancelled.
It emerged that only one trial remained active, with notices issued to all doctors involved, requesting they return the illegally received funds.
A medical superintendent had confirmed that four to five doctors had already returned Rs 11 lakh, and the remaining were expected to follow suit.
Vibes of India learned that the hospital was ordered to halt all further clinical studies until an ethics committee is formed and approvals are secured.
These scandals, combining forged documents, fake ethics committees, and exploitation of the poor, has triggered a wider reckoning in Gujarat’s healthcare system.
Rajashree Kesari’s words are proving to be prophetic. She had warned: “If a real, fair investigation takes place, many more skeletons will tumble out.”
Also Read: International Illegal Clinical Trial Scam Exposed In Gujarat https://www.vibesofindia.com/international-illegal-clinical-trial-scam-exposed-in-gujarat/
Clinical Trials Halted At Ahmedabad Hospital Amid Alleged Rs 1.87 Cr Financial Irregularities https://www.vibesofindia.com/clinical-trials-halted-at-ahmedabad-hospital-amid-alleged-rs-1-87-cr-financial-irregularities/
