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The controversial trial of an untested drug on 27 unsuspecting patients at the Regional Cancer Centre in Trivandrum was funded by the US-based Johns Hopkins University, a preliminary probe has revealed.
Doctor Purvish Parikh of the Bombay-based Tata Memorial Hospital, who is probing the clinical trial of a banned drug at the RCC on behalf of the Kerala government, said on Friday that he had documentary evidence to prove JHU's involvement.
He said RCC records showed that the JHU treasurer had cleared funds for the trials.
The prestigious cancer institute has been in the eye of a storm for its alleged clinical trial of M4N, derivative of a compound that has been declared unsafe by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The drug was developed by a team of researchers headed by Ru Chi Huang of JHU's department of biology.
The American university had denied its involvement in the RCC study through its July 31 newsletter.
Parikh, who commenced his inquiry on Thursday afternoon, said that he was leaving for Bombay and would be back a week later to collect more details.
Meanwhile, Vincent Panikulanagara, counsel for R Gopalan, one of the patients who underwent the trials, said: "I have asked Parikh to see that the bodies of these patients (two, who had died) are exhumed and sent for chemical examination. Only then we will know the truth."
Parikh said he would find out about the death of the two patients from hospital records
"Even though the state government has given me three weeks time, I will not submit my report unless I go into each and every aspect of the whole controversy," he said.
Indo-Asian News Service
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