Advertisement

French clinical trial patient with brain damage dies; four stable

By Ed Adamczyk

RENNES , France, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The man left brain-dead in a clinical drug trial has died Monday, the University Hospital in Rennes, France, reported.

Four of the five others who were injured were in stable condition with neurological disorders, the hospital said. The fifth was under observation.

Advertisement

Ninety people were involved in the test of the unidentified drug, used to treat anxiety or pain tied to degenerative illnesses.

The unidentified victims were part of a Phase 1 test, checking the safety of the drug and not its effectiveness, in a licensed clinic in Rennes, for the Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial. The tests, on men aged 28 to 49, began July 9, with the six hospitalized men joining the test Jan. 7, French Health Minister Marisol Touraine said. The trial was suspended last week.

The hospital requested 84 others undergoing the test receive a medical examination. Ten people were examined Saturday, with none exhibiting the symptoms of those hospitalized.

Touraine said the incident is unprecedented in France, adding the government would investigate the matter and identify the responsible parties. French prosecutors have also begun an investigation.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines