Experimental drug given to British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
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Troops could launch lawsuits, warns expert
· Veterans' groups criticise 'guinea pig' decision
James Randerson, science correspondent
Saturday September 16, 2006
The Guardian
Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are being treated with an experimental blood-clotting drug that has not been fully tested.
Because randomised controlled trials have not yet been carried out into the drug's effectiveness, it is impossible to know whether it is doing more harm than good to patients.
Veterans' support groups have criticised the Ministry of Defence action. One trauma expert has said soldiers treated with the drug could sue the MoD if trials produce evidence it is harmful.
Phil Willis, the Liberal Democrat MP who is chairman of the science and technology select committee, described the MoD's decision as "a dereliction of its duty of care that indicates a moral bankruptcy within the military".
The drug, called NovoSeven, was originally licensed in 1999 as a treatment to stem bleeding in haemophiliacs.
ARTICLE CONTINUES HERE
I would ask these questions about this: What pharmaceutical company is making this drug? Does this pharmaceutical company make corporate donations to the politicians who are supporting the war?
info about the drug
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g4906d.htm
