A man passed away in France after taking part in a drug trial for a painkiller based on a compound similar to cannabis. He was pronounced brain-dead on Sunday after staying at Rennes University Hospital for a week. Five other volunteers remain hospitalized due to the incident.
He was one of the 90 volunteers who participated in the drug trial which began on Jan. 7. All of them were given the drug were given the experimental drug in different dosage and at different times. The victim's identity remains undisclosed.
The hospital then contacted the 84 other volunteers who were exposed to the drug but found no anomalies with the 10 volunteers who presented themselves after taking a medical exam, according to Independent.
As posted on The Globe And Mail, French prosecutors are investigating the unusual case of testing drugs on paid and healthy human volunteers. French health authorities said that the three other hospitalized volunteers face possible brain damage, and French health minister Marisol Touraine called it "an accident of exceptional gravity."
The experimental drug, which is based on an active ingredient found in marijuana, was orally given to volunteers as part of phase one by Biotrial on behalf of the Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial. The drug is aimed to ease pain, mood, anxiety troubles, as well as treat neurodegenerative illnesses.
ABC News reported that the chief executive of Bial said he was profoundly shocked by the death. He then apologized to the family of the volunteer who died during the testing. He also pledged to conduct an investigation on the mishap.
A similar incident also happened in London in 2006, where six people who participated in German drug manufacturer TeDegenero's experimental drug TGN1412. The drug aimed to treat cancer and other immune system-related diseases. The participants fell seriously ill and left one participant suffering from multiple organ failure. Another lost all his toes and fingers.
Although they all survived, experts said that their immune system is damaged for life.
