DRUGGERS OUTSOURCE TESTING

New Delhi, (WPI) - Recent filings with the Food and Drug Administration reveal that US drug companies have been outsourcing pharmaceutical testing of new chemical compounds on humans to India, southeast Asia and China.

Since 2004 more than 90% of human drug trials have been moved out of the United States. Pharmaceutical companies claim that there has been no reduction or compromise in testing standards related to the move. Several reasons are given but the principle ones are financial and the increased number and availability of prospective subjects.

“It’s not just that we have to pay these people so much less but they are so grateful for the money,” said Director of Research Sadie Iiste, of Pfizer Chemical. ”They tolerate pain, irritation, burning, all kinds of discomfort that Americans would never stand for. Then they look at you and bow, and say ‘Thank You, Sahib,’ It’s truly remarkable. It’s refreshing.”

“Beyond the savings is the ready availability of people with the serious diseases we need for our research. In the US maybe only 100 people in a city of 100,000 have the specific disease we need to test drugs for. Over here we can find 5000, 10,000 people with the disease.” claimed Naomi Morrales, VP of New Products for Abbott Laboratories. “It allows us to pick and choose. Not to mention, the people are so grateful, it’s a pleasure to come to work in the morning.”

“Let’s be honest, drug testing, especial trials on humans is unpredictable and expensive,” said Dick Crusher, Director of Human Trials for Bristol-Myers Squibb. “In the US if a patient dies from a sample we have to pay out tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to their survivors. In India four, five hundred is much more common. The families are grateful too. They understand the risks. They are glad for the money. They wouldn’t have it otherwise.

“Americans are babies,” alleges Paine Levy of Ortho Consumer Pharmaceuticals in New Delhi. “In the US subjects skip appointments, show up late, complain about the traffic, bleeding or oozing. You have none of that over here. Even if a subject lives 20 or thirty miles away they will be here at 8AM even if they have to get up at 2am to start walking.

“Look, the world is flat, as the man says. If we can cut the costs of human trials by as much as 85% ,” said Clem Appathe, Chief of the Pharmacological Testing Group for Wal Mart, “we will. Always low prices, always.”

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