Cazadores de cuerpos: La experimentacion farmaceutica con los pobres del mundo (The Body Hunters: Testing New Drugs on the World's Poorest Patients)

Would you let someone test an experimental drug on your child? Thousands in the United States did when Salk's polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s, but since then, the willingness of Americans and others in wealthy countries to participate in clinical trials has decreased significantly. As such, a new system for locating and recruiting patients in poor countries has been engendered by the multinational pharmaceutical industry. Having spent years gathering research in Africa and Asia, investigative journalist Shah (Crude: The Story of Oil) explores the ethical issues involved and makes the case that the system is essentially exploitative. She includes among her examples of poor peoples' rights being abused a lack of informed consent and oversight, a misunderstanding of the nature of placebos, and the receiving of free food in exchange for "volunteer" trial participation. She provides compelling evidence and suggests solutions that would still provide clinical data without exploiting the poor. Recommended for public and academic libraries. [LJ 6/15/05]