Six taken ill during French drug trial

[MSUK]

Six people are seriously ill after taking part in a medical trial at laboratory in France...Read more - http://www.ms-uk.org/MSnews

[cheerleader]

More than taken ill...brain dead and dying. I've been looking into this more, as I found it really, really strange that this drug, which did fine in chimp trials, caused a deadly inflammatory reaction in humans, with brain bleeding and stroke. It was a trial for a "pain medication" and the trial participants were healthy men.

What's most curious is that this drug is a FAAH inhibitor, called BIA 10-2474, created to boost anandamide--a signalling molecule that naturally occurs in the human brain and affects the brain's cannabinoid receptors, easing pain and anxiety. Anandamide is known as the bliss molecule. Chocolate and TCH have similar properties. Pot brownies, anyone?? http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senes ... mide.shtml
(other FAAH inhibitors are also being studied for MS and NONE have had this kind of AE.)

It kind of reminded me of what happened with Tysabri in human trials...the JC virus doesn't show up in mice, so it took researchers by surprise when people developed PML and died.

Anyhow....here are some good links on the story for those interested in learning more about the science.
Looks like the group in the hospital were all in the highest dosing group.
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/ar ... -in-france
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/world ... ation.html

SImply tragic. Thoughts and prayers to those affected and their families.
cheer

[Brainteaser]

Carl Elliott, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota, said investigators should look into questions like how much the men were paid and whether they properly consented to the trial. “Many Phase 1 trial volunteers are poor and unemployed, and they volunteer for trials like this because they are desperate for money,” he said. “This means they are easily exploited.”

Something to consider.