What does future hold for drug trial victims?

“CANCER hits drugs tester.” “Drug trial man says he has just two years to live.” Headlines along these lines this week predicted the fate confronting six men who took part in the catastrophic trial of the drug TGN1412. Not only did the volunteers suffer adverse reactions that put them in hospital for months, four of them have now been told they are at risk of cancer and serious autoimmune disease. However, just as it is still unclear exactly why the men reacted so badly to the drug (New Scientist, 25 March, p 10), their prognosis is less certain than…