Drug companies and Medical Doctors are employing “disturbing” recruiting techniques for clinical trials in the rush to get new medicines onto the competitive pharmaceutical market, according to a U.S. government investigation. In one case, a nursing home patient allegedly was forced to either participate in a clinical trial or leave the home. In another, patients were contacted several times in order to try and persuade them to enroll. “Recent investigations and complaints reveal disturbing recruitment practices,” said the report released by June Gibbs Brown, the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services. Drug companies try to boost enrollment by offering financial incentives to doctors and by advertising their studies. Doctors sometimes ask their own patients to be potential subjects. In addition, people told investigators they feared that some researchers may enroll patients who should not be eligible “in order to meet quotas and satisfy sponsors.” [Have sheeple will follow.]
