Thursday, April 15, 2004
On why everyone is stupid
Infant Orphans in NY Catholic Home Used as "Guinea Pigs" in Dangerous Drug
Experiments
NEW YORK, April 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Up to a hundred children
infected with HIV, some as young as three months, were used as "guinea
pigs" for experimental research by pharmaceutical companies anxious to
test dangerous drugs on human subjects. The children were in the care of a
charitable home for HIV infected orphans, Incarnation Children's Center
run by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the New York
Administration for Children's Services.
The Center was the location of at least 36 experiments since 1995, testing
"safety," "tolerance" and "toxicity" of drugs for a variety of illnesses
related to HIV infection, including herpes. Drugs used on the children in
the dangerous Phase I experiments, are similar to those used in
chemotherapy and often have harmful side effects. In most cases the
children's parents were either dead or untraceable.
The pharmaceutical giant, Glaxo SmithKline has admitted it provided funds
for some of the trials but defended the action saying it is the
responsibility of federal regulatory agencies "to ensure all subjects in a
clinical trial provided appropriate, informed consent to conform with all
local lawsÂ…"
Glaxo has been implicated on other occasions in violations of ethical
norms. In 2001, the Observer's Anthony Barnett reported that in the
1960's, Glaxo allowed thousands of British babies to be inoculated with
toxic whooping cough vaccines it knew had not passed crucial safety tests.
At the Incarnation home, the responsibility of granting permission to use
the children in drug tests was that of a panel of doctors and lawyers. The
actual trials were carried out by Columbia University doctors. A spokesman
for the University said that trials stopped in 2000. But New York
Archdiocesan spokesman, Joseph Zwiller said the experiments were not
halted until 2002. Brooklyn councilor Bill de Bloasio is demanding that
the New York Administration for Children's Services reveal who gave
consent for the use of the children.
Vera Sharav, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection has
written to the Office of Compliance of the FDA, demanding that an
investigation be made as to the possible violation of the federal laws
regarding human research subjects and informed consent. Said Sharav, "The
most vulnerable, disadvantaged children are being exploited by powerful
entities and used as guinea pigs as if they were not human beings."
Alliance for Human Research Protection letter to FDA outlining
experiments: http://www.ahrp.org/ahrpspeaks/HIVkids0304.html
Experiments
NEW YORK, April 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Up to a hundred children
infected with HIV, some as young as three months, were used as "guinea
pigs" for experimental research by pharmaceutical companies anxious to
test dangerous drugs on human subjects. The children were in the care of a
charitable home for HIV infected orphans, Incarnation Children's Center
run by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the New York
Administration for Children's Services.
The Center was the location of at least 36 experiments since 1995, testing
"safety," "tolerance" and "toxicity" of drugs for a variety of illnesses
related to HIV infection, including herpes. Drugs used on the children in
the dangerous Phase I experiments, are similar to those used in
chemotherapy and often have harmful side effects. In most cases the
children's parents were either dead or untraceable.
The pharmaceutical giant, Glaxo SmithKline has admitted it provided funds
for some of the trials but defended the action saying it is the
responsibility of federal regulatory agencies "to ensure all subjects in a
clinical trial provided appropriate, informed consent to conform with all
local lawsÂ…"
Glaxo has been implicated on other occasions in violations of ethical
norms. In 2001, the Observer's Anthony Barnett reported that in the
1960's, Glaxo allowed thousands of British babies to be inoculated with
toxic whooping cough vaccines it knew had not passed crucial safety tests.
At the Incarnation home, the responsibility of granting permission to use
the children in drug tests was that of a panel of doctors and lawyers. The
actual trials were carried out by Columbia University doctors. A spokesman
for the University said that trials stopped in 2000. But New York
Archdiocesan spokesman, Joseph Zwiller said the experiments were not
halted until 2002. Brooklyn councilor Bill de Bloasio is demanding that
the New York Administration for Children's Services reveal who gave
consent for the use of the children.
Vera Sharav, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection has
written to the Office of Compliance of the FDA, demanding that an
investigation be made as to the possible violation of the federal laws
regarding human research subjects and informed consent. Said Sharav, "The
most vulnerable, disadvantaged children are being exploited by powerful
entities and used as guinea pigs as if they were not human beings."
Alliance for Human Research Protection letter to FDA outlining
experiments: http://www.ahrp.org/ahrpspeaks/HIVkids0304.html
