Visakhapatnam: Irregularities in drug trials at the Vizag mental hospital have been unearthed by an investigation committee appointed by health authorities.
Investigation has revealed that a senior Vizag psychiatrist had allegedly received huge sums of money for clinical drug trials on mentally-ill patients. The Government Hospital for Mental Care had become a den of clinical drug trials between the years 2000-2011.
A secret inquiry report on the same has been accessed by Deccan Chronicle.
The report states that Dr N. Nookaraju allegedly conducted the trials in violation of various norms. He also apparently took large amounts of money from various contract research organisations through an account in the name of a charitable trust, Psychiatry Research Forum, of which Dr Nookaraju is the chairman and his wife, the managing trustee.
Interestingly, Dr Nookaraju is still superintendent of the hospital and vice-principal of Andhra Medical College and no action has been taken yet. When contacted, senior officials of the Andhra Medical College declined to comment citing lack of enough knowledge on the issue.
