49 infants die in drug tests in India

DELHI, India, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Officials say the deaths of 49 infants involved in drug tests at a hospital in India have sparked concern about medical ethical standards.

The Times of London said the deaths occurred over more than two years at All India Institute of Medical Services in Delhi. More than 4,000 infants have been used in 42 clinical trials since 2006, the newspaper said.

Critics said impoverished parents don't understand the dangers of allowing their children, who are often very ill before they enter the clinical trials, to participate in the drug tests. "If you are rich in this country you go to a private doctor. You certainly don't put your child up to be experimented on," Rahul Verma of the Uday Foundation for Congenital Defects and Rare Blood Groups said.

The Indian government's Planning Commission said India has a serious shortage of researchers and staff qualified to serve on ethics committees and data safety management boards.