The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Government of India to respond to the unethical and illegal clinical trials that took place in Ahmedabad.
It was hearing a Public Interest litigation petition filed by the Swasthya Adhikar Manch. The petition highlights how the multinational drug companies were conducting clinical trials in the country by treating poor and vulnerable people as subjects, as Guinea pigs, without adequate legal safeguards.
The incidents related to unethical clinical trials in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and other States have been mentioned in this petition.
While conducting clinical trials, Pharma companies -Sponsors, Investigators, Institutions have been earning huge money making earning and whereas the ‘subjects’, who are used in these clinical trials, are paid a paltry sum of Rs 200 to 500.
In cases of death or serious adverse effects, they are not compensated. From 2005 to 2020, a total of 34390 ( 6500 Deaths and 27890 SAEs) occurred during clinical trials in India.
Senior counsel Sanjay Parikh has argued that unethical clinical trials have been conducted by 58 National and International pharmaceutical companies since 2021 on approximately 500 patients in the public hospital of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
These trials were conducted in the absence of an Ethical Committee, which under the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, is mandatory. He further mentioned that private drug companies deposited 17-20 crores into the doctor’s personal bank account, as per the news report.
The Supreme Court asked the Government of India to respond to the Affidavit dated April, 23, 2025 filed by Swasthya Adhikar Manch, which highlights the unethical and illegal clinical trials in Gujarat.
The Court has also directed the Government of India to file reply to several other issues related to clinical trials raised by the petitioners.
Amulya Nidhi of Swasthya Adhikar Manch said that SAM will continue highlighting the issue of unethical clinical trials across many parts of the country, along with Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India, Rajasthan Nagrik Manch, Drug Triall Peedit Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sanghatan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Sahayog Samiti.
Jagdish Patel of Gujarat Unit of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India along with others had already written a letter to Government of Gujarat and raised his concern on unethical clinical trials in Ahmedabad.
N D Jayprakash said that in Bhopal Unethical clinical trials were conducted on Bhopal Gas tragedy survivors and many deaths and SAEs happened. In Indore, few doctors earned more than five crores while conducting unethical clinical trials and 81 (deaths and SAEs happened).
Anil Goswami, Sohan Lal and Basant haryana said that in Rajasthan out of 213 clinical trials 95 deaths happened and in 2018 unethical trials happened in Jaipur too.
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