Clinical Trials Exploitative of India Poor?

Clinical trials have always been part of the pharmaceutical industry, but what if a large number of those trying out new medicines live below the poverty line, or are even unaware they are participating in tests?

While most top pharmaceutical companies are located in the United States, trial runs for drugs and medicines are often conducted by clinical research organizations abroad. With over a billion residents, India is one of the growing destinations for the multi-million industry, Wired reports. Clinical research organizations cite the country's enormous population as the main reason for its appeal for clinical tests, but al Jazeera's current affairs show Fault Lines wonders if India's growing gap between rich and poor doesn't complicate that P.R. picture.

Zeina Awad reports from Bhopal, where she met numerous Indians who claim they participated in clinical trials without consenting to them. Too poor to take the pharmaceutical companies to court, they are left alone to deal with the consequences.

Check out Fault Line's full report here: