Indore: State mental health authority has started a probe into allegations of unethical clinical trials conducted on mentally ill patients in Indore on the directive of the government of India.

“We have summoned all the five doctors who allegedly conducted clinical trials on mentally ill patients. We have also called the complainant doctor in this matter,” Dr RN Sahu, secretary of the state mental health authority and head of psychiatry department, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal told DNA.

He said the probe on the government of India’s instruction will cover all aspects and find out if any violations were committed.

Whistle blower in the clinical trials Dr Anand Rai said he has also been summoned on February 24 and has been asked to bring all the relevant documents.

In a letter on January 24, the union health ministry instructed state mental health authority to conduct an inquiry of the allegations of clinical trials on mentally ill patients. As per the allegations, 233 mentally ill patients in Indore were subjected to clinical trials to check efficacy of various drugs. These included 42 patients for a drug called Dapoxetine used to cure premature ejaculation.

The trials were conducted in private clinics by doctors of the mental hospital attached to the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College between January 2008 and October 2010. This came to light following chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s reply to a question raised in the state assembly.

The reply, tabled in the assembly, mentioned five doctors - Dr Ramgulam Rajdan, Dr VS Pal, Dr Ujwal Sardesai, Dr Abhay Paliwal and Dr Pali Rastogi.

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