Questions Remain in Bial's Fatal Clinical Trial

Jan. 20, 2016

It was reported last Friday, Jan. 15, that one person died and five others were hospitalized, after participating in a phase-1 clinical trial of an experimental drug in France. Several days later, information is still lacking as to what happened.

Bial manufactured the drug, which was targeted to treat anxiety and motor disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain in people with cancer and other conditions. Bial said the drug was an FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase) inhibitor, according to an article in Nature. FAAH is an enzyme produced in the brain and elsewhere in the body that breaks down neurotransmitters known as endocannabinoids.

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