Drug trials made in China . . .

Yep, it is happening. China has just overtaken India in number of drug trials, according to FT.

And according to data on www.clinicaltrials.gov, China now has a cumulative total of 510 completed or ongoing trials compared with 471 in India, which had until recently been ahead on both measures.

Of course, we should all be joyous that this will bring down the cost of drug trials for our drug companies.

This, of course, is the beginning of Wal-Mart drugs. Or maybe savings will simply be stashed away in executive compensation, since price cutting was never the drug industry’s forte.

Never mind the fact that China is the country sending us toys painted with lead, poisoning our children, or toothpaste laced with anti-freeze, poisoning anyone foolish enough to eat toothpaste. Or manufacturing tires that explode, killing anyone foolish enough to drive on them. Or . . . I could go on.

But considering how drug companies love to tweak their trials, we are sure they will get exactly what they pay for by accomodating Chinese scientists.

In China, everything is possible. Perhaps a new warning on drug labels will be in place:

"Clinical trial made in China."

- Peter Rost, M.D. is a former VP of Pfizer and the author of Killer Drug and The Whistleblower.

Comments

[Lad]

I don't believe the cost of doing a study in China is low or we can say it will be relevantly low in a short period. More attractive is the shortened registration timeline because of amazing recruitment, we all know there is a large patient pool in China. China will be a big market of R&D instead of sales in the coming 5 to 10 years.

[depression treatment]

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[heroin addiction treatment]

Study of drugs cost a large amount of money and a long span of time.It needs a thorough study and effort. Thanks for this post.

-jomie-

[adolescent drug treatment]

I agree with you, theres nothing impossible in china, everything is possible.

-mj-