New investigation: Industry-sponsored clinical drug trials in Egypt

22. June 2016

After our 2013 investigations in Russia, Ukraine, India and Argentina, Public Eye (formerly the Berne Declaration) investigated in 2016 into the clinical trial offshoring in Egypt. Our research work on the ground, in a very opaque environment, has shed the light on serious ethical violations.

Our exclusive investigation in Egypt has brought new evidence that unethical practices occur in industry-sponsored clinical trials conducted in Egypt, and that drugs tested there are not systematically available to and mostly unaffordable for the Egyptian population.

Pharmaceutical companies take advantage of the weaknesses of Egypt’s public health system and test their medicines on vulnerable people to reduce the costs of their clinical trials.

Of the 57 international drug trials that were active in Egypt in February 2016, over half were cancer trials. The two Swiss giants Novartis and Roche are responsible for almost 50 per cent of the international drug trials taking place in the country.

Further information about our latest investigations about clinical trials here.