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Medical scandal Deadly drug tests on defenseless psychiatric patients
In a psychiatric clinic in Switzerland in the late 1950s unauthorized drugs were tested on patients. Several people collapsed during the tests. The Swiss media also talk about a fatality.
Unapproved drugs tested on patients
"Looking for participants for a drug study" or "Earn good money as a subject" - such and similar calls can be read again and again in ads on the Internet. Most of them are pharmaceutical companies or universities that need healthy or sick subjects for their research. In Germany alone, about 1,200 such studies are conducted every year, involving a total of about 10,000 subjects. But not all drug tests are or were carried out with volunteers. According to media reports, unauthorized drugs were tested on patients at the Psychiatric Clinic in Herisau, Switzerland (Appenzell Ausserrhoden canton) at the end of the 1950s.
In a psychiatric clinic in Switzerland in the late 1950s, drug tests were performed. One patient died at that time. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com) Patient died on attempt
Even if the facts are currently still a bit poor, it is clear that in the past Psychiatric Clinic Herisau drugs were administered, which were officially not available. According to a report in the news program "Schweiz aktuell", in 1957 the drug "G 22355" was used in at least 18 patients. "G 22355" was intended for patients with depression. However, this drug had been brought in 1958 by the pharmaceutical company Geigy (now Novartis) on the market. According to the information it is today admitted under the name Tofranil. The tests had some fatal consequences: according to the news program, patients had sweats or were partially fainting. One patient died during a trial.
"A violation of fundamental human rights"
Cantonal Councilor Jens Weber was horrified by these attempts at medication: "It is frightening that such a thing has been done. And reprehensible, because experiments have been made on humans. They did not agree and that is a violation of fundamental human rights. "Historian Marietta Meier commented," The pharmaceutical industry was interested in trying to bring new products to market, as well as doctors and clinics who benefited from free drugs . "
Legal requirements were different then
Markus Schmidlin, director of today's psychiatric center Appenzell Ausserrhoden, defended the use of the test drug. At that time there was only the alternative with opium or the straitjacket for the immobilization of a patient. "Whether the person died in connection with the tests, we do not know. It's documented, and that speaks for the investigator, that he did not cover it up. "In addition, administering to patients has been the usual method of introducing new drugs. "At that time, the legal requirements were completely different. Adherence to safety standards using controlled trials was completely unknown. "Appenzell Ausserrhoden, President of the Government, Matthias Weishaupt, said:" Patients have a claim to know what happened then without their knowledge. And a society has to look and open the dark side of psychiatry history. "
Deadly human attempts by Western companies
Drug tests have been discussed in recent months, mainly because of the incidents in France in public. There, a volunteer suffered a brain death after taking an experimental drug. According to the information, dogs had already died from the drug before. Deaths from drug testing have also been reported in countries such as India or Nigeria in recent years. In Germany, the news about western drug tests on GDR citizens caused a sensation. At that time, some lethal human experiments were reported. Western pharmaceutical companies have therefore commissioned more than 600 drug trials in over 50 GDR hospitals. Such tests have been performed, among others, on sick, preterm and alcoholics, some have been fatal. (Ad)