France Drug Trial Update: Latest Death Case Not Linked to Marijuana Abuse
News emerged that a drug trial case which was done in France led into several serious incidents last Friday. As per Independent's report, six men were rushed to the hospital after having negative effects from the drug that they were given during the drug trial which took place in north-western France.
Independent then added that when the drug trial started last January 7, 2016, all the test subjects ranging from ages 28 and 49 were perfectly healthy and in good condition. 128 volunteers participated in the trial, 90 of which were given the pill which contains the drug and the rest were given a placebo. Unfortunately six of the test patients who took the pills ended up in the hospital with one of them being classified as brain dead. The test subjects were admitted to Rennes Hospital last Sunday.
Bial, which is a drug company based in Coronado, Portugal, released a statement through their representatives stating that the company made sure that it would follow the strict protocol for clinical trials as per New York Times. Bial worked with the testing company Biotrial.
In relation to the incident that happened, Biotrial released an official statement acknowledging the fact that the trial can indeed lead to serious adverse effects. Part of its official statement mentioned that, "The trial has been conducted in full compliance with the international regulations, and Biotrial's procedures were followed at every stage throughout the trial, in particular the emergency procedures for the transfer of subjects to the hospital. We are in close and regular contact with the health authorities and ministry in France."
As per New York Times, the drug in question is a pain killer compound formulated to help patients with "mood, anxiety and motor problems" that are correlated with neurodegenerative diseases.
BBC then released the latest update with regards to the men that were confined. The patient that was brain dead passed away as per the reports acquired from the local news. In addition to the reports, it was also stated that the other four patients were diagnosed with "neurological problems" while the remaining patient didn't display any symptoms.
A chief neuroscientist from the Rennes hospital then stated that no known antidote has been discovered to counter the effects of the drug in question.
The drug is said to be linked with cannabis, but this allegation, which was first reported by Snopes, was put to rest when chief neuroscientist Professor Gilles Edan stated that one of the drug's compounds is similar to the active ingredient found in marijuana.
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