Pharmaceutical industry Deadly human experiments

Deadly drug tests by West companies in the GDR

05/13/2013

For years, Western pharmaceutical companies carried out drug tests on the sick, premature and alcoholics in the GDR. About 50,000 GDR citizens were affected by the human experiments, some tests ended fatally.

Previously unknown files provide information
Western pharmaceutical companies have commissioned more than 600 drug trials in more than 50 GDR hospitals. Often without their knowledge, people were tested for doping or heart medication. This is reported by the magazine „mirror“ citing previously unknown files of the GDR Ministry of Health, the Stasi and the Institute of Pharmaceuticals. By the end of the GDR, about 50,000 people would have served as subjects, among them underdeveloped premature babies and alcoholics in acute delirium.

Many leading pharmaceutical companies involved
Some tests had to be stopped because they had deaths. According to a test of the Hoechst drug Trental, two people died in East Berlin. Another two patients died in the lung clinic Lostau near Magdeburg. They have been treated with the antihypertensive Spirapril, a drug developed by Sandoz, now part of the Novartis Group. According to the case-file, Boehringer-Mannheim (today part of the Roche Group) allowed erythropoietin, a substance used as a doping substance, to be used at the Berlin Charité 30 „immature premature babies“ test. Bayer also tested nimodipine, an agent for improving cerebral blood flow, on alcoholics in acute delirium. To „mirror“-These could not be asked for consent due to their condition. Often patients have not been informed about risks and side effects.

D-Mark for human experiments
The magazine further reports that the corporations offered up to 800,000 Westmark per study. The Charité had been offered by managers of the West Berlin Schering AG (now part of Bayer) even a test volume of six million D-Mark annually. According to interview protocols, leading physicians of the Charité were aware of the motives of the corporations. Schering is well in the West „general ethical problems: man as a guinea pig“ At that time a responsible Charité doctor said. In addition, the subjects were often not informed accordingly. Thus, in March 1989, Hoechst (now part of Sanofi) agreed, according to the minutes of the meeting, „that the explanatory text remains with the examiner and is not given to the patient“. Apparently, no signature of the patient was necessary because of his consent „by signature of the attending physician and a witness“ documented. The experiments, which ended only with the fall of the wall, began already in the early 1980er years. Thus, according to the historian Prof. Christoph Friedrich of the University of Marburg in a meeting with responsible Central Committee members „set the course for a momentous deal“. At selected clinics, doctors should conduct studies on drugs that have not yet been approved on behalf of Western pharmaceutical companies. In return, the D-mark that was used for this purpose should be used for investments in its own hospitals.

Pharmaceutical companies feel innocent
The events are far behind, according to the information provided by the companies concerned. In addition, they emphasize that clinical tests were in principle carried out according to strict regulations. And the Association of Research-Drug Manufacturers Can „So far, no suspicion that anything was lazy“, see. (Sb)

Picture: Gerd Altmann, Pixelio