07.04.2018, Brussel.
In Belgium, a giant pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, carries out its experiments on people, a correspondent of the Rossa Primavera Information Agency reports.
On the kingdom’s territory, 35 thousand “healthy volunteers” participate in experiments performed by Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company.
“My father’s death from cancer became the reason why I am participating in the experiment. This is my fifth participation in a Pfizer study. It is comfortable here, and we have everything we need to feel fine: a TV set, a computer, games, books, and many other kinds of entertainment. There is no swimming pool, however. Everything here follows a strict schedule: dinner, blood sampling, administration of drugs. There is a clock on every wall,” said Serge, a volunteer. He also added that sometimes they are not allowed to leave. This can last for up to 5 weeks. Finally, Serge said that the volunteers are watched by cameras around the clock, with few exceptions.
“To enroll participants, we send out a letter to volunteers selected form a database and the study protocol, and we approve the dates. Alternatively, we enroll patients upon approval by doctors. Importantly, the patient does not receive any treatment at the first phase of a study. The study in which we monitor adverse reactions is of utmost importance for us. We want to understand how the drug interacts with a healthy subject and with a patient,” Doctor Anna Colzi said.
Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company, began its experiments in 1992 in the Erasme hospital in Anderlecht (a district of Brussels), where they study such diseases as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, hepatitis C, and diabetes. Over a quarter-century, 503 studies have been carried out in Belgium.
The Kingdom of Belgium ranks second in the number of such experiments after Denmark.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
