Allegations against HCG Hospital:Centre forms probe committee
Bengaluru: HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG), one of Bengaluru’s leading cancer treatment hospitals, has come under serious scrutiny following allegations of conducting unethical medical experiments on patients. In response, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has constituted a special investigation committee to conduct an in-depth inspection of the hospital. The central committee includes senior officials like Dr Bikash Roy, Assistant Drugs Controller (Central), and Sunitha Joshi, Drug Inspector from the CDSCO Bengaluru Zonal Office, along with officials and subject experts from CDSCO headquarters in Delhi.
The team is scheduled to carry out inspections at HCG Hospital from July 3 to July 5. The probe was triggered by repeated complaints made by Justice P. Krishna Bhat (Retd.), former chairperson of HCG’s Institutional Ethics Committee. He alleged that the hospital had been engaging in unauthorized clinical trials and that internal efforts to raise these concerns with the hospital’s administration were ignored or suppressed. Following mounting concerns, the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services in Karnataka formally requested the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to investigate the matter. The CDSCO has now taken up the probe, which may have national implications for medical trial ethics and regulatory oversight in private hospitals. The scandal intensified after it was revealed that HCG allegedly enrolled economically disadvantaged cancer patients into clinical trials under the pretext of offering treatment they couldn’t otherwise afford. In 2023, Eli Lilly, a global pharmaceutical giant, reportedly halted its trials with HCG after finding violations of ethical guidelines concerning the recruitment of poor patients for research purposes.
The situation escalated with resignations from key HCG executives, including the CEO and directors, followed by a string of departures by senior doctors. Justice Bhat also resigned from his ethics role, citing moral objections and regulatory violations. Adding to the concern, it has been alleged that HCG failed to report patient deaths during clinical trials as required under global health protocols, including those of the World Health Organization (WHO). Justice Bhat highlighted this non-compliance as not only a breach of medical ethics but also a threat to the hospital’s credibility and partnerships with international pharma companies. The outcome of the CDSCO’s inspection will be closely watched, with possible ramifications for India’s clinical research landscape, especially regarding the treatment of vulnerable patient groups.
