Medical trial victims receive interim payouts

Four men who became seriously ill after taking part in a drug trial which went disastrously wrong have been given unconditional interim payments of £10,000.

Martyn Day, solicitor for the victims of the Northwick Park drug trial, said they were given the money by insurers of the German drug manufacturer TeGenero to support them in the short term.

The insurers agreed to increase their interim offer from £5,000 and to drop a condition linking the payment with an agreement by the men not to pursue compensation claims through the courts within the next year.

The men, who were among six healthy volunteers who took part in the trial at the hospital in north-west London last month, are seeking substantial damages after suffering what one immunologist described as "immunological mayhem".

Experts say the assault on their immune system could leave them vulnerable to autoimmune disorders, infections or even tumours. They were testing TGN1412, a drug that it was hoped would treat rheumatoid arthritis, leukaemia and multiple sclerosis, but which had never been tested on humans.

TeGenero insured the trial for only £2m, which was linked to a no-fault arbitration scheme which awards compensation without the need to go to court.

Mr Day said he feared it would not be enough to compensate the six men in full for the lifetime effects on their health. The men would still have the option of pursuing claims through the courts. But the company, which was founded on limited venture capital, might not have the cash to satisfy a court judgment against it.

He would also be looking at the possibility of a claim against Parexel, the US company which manages the research unit at Northwick Park, or the UK drugs regulator, the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (MHRA).

Ann Alexander, solicitor for the two most severely affected men, said the most seriously ill, Ryan Wilson, 20, had been told he would have to have three fingertips amputated.