Hyderabad, Jun 18 : Drug control authorities in Andhra Pradesh Friday carried out inspections at a Hyderabad lab conducting clinical trials following allegations that poor women from Guntur district were used for testing a drug to treat breast cancer.
The officials conducted inspections at the Axis Lab in the Miyapur neighbourhood, checked the records to verify if the lab was following the regulations.
The move came after police in Guntur district arrested two persons allegedly working as brokers for a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company to engage poor women for the unauthorised drug trials.
Kommu Karunamma and Shaikh Jameela were arrested from Piduguralla town, about 300 km from here, after 20 women took ill allegedly following clinical trials.
The brokers were allegedly hiring gullible women and taking them to Hyderabad where their blood samples were taken and they were given injections and tablets.
They were being paid around Rs.3,000 to Rs.10,000 for the trials conducted during last three months.
The issue came to light Thursday after some women complained of severe body pain and extreme weakness. A few of them had even difficulty walking. A local doctor told them they could have been tested for breast cancer drugs.
The pharmaceutical company is allegedly using the services of various labs in Hyderabad to conduct the trials.
Axis Lab admitted that it conducted the trials on one woman.
Health Minister D.L. Ravindra Reddy ordered a probe, but said there was no evidence as to which company was conducting the trials.
Taking a suo moto cognizance of the incident, the Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission asked the health secretary to submit a report.
The panel directed the government to pay compensation to the affected women and provide them the medical treatment.
R.P. Meena, director general of drug administration, denied that they sealed any lab or conducted raids.
"Our officials only conducted inspections to find out what is happening there, whether they are maintaining records," he said.
The official said even if they find some mistake on part of the institution, they have no powers to take action, adding that it was for the central authorities to act against those violating the rules.
IANS