Patients Not Told of Tests, Paper Says

Patients are not always fully informed that they are guinea pigs in medical research studies authorized by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, a newspaper said. The Plain Dealer of Cleveland said it analyzed FDA files obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and found that in 4,154 inspections of researchers testing new drugs on humans, the FDA cited more than 53% for failing to fully disclose the experimental nature of their work. Government agencies and industry spend at least $20 billion a year on clinical trials, the paper reported.