Clinical trials underway at leading government institutions such as the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research and the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology offer a glimpse into the kind of advanced research being conducted in Bengaluru, even as doctors pointed to a larger, undocumented landscape of unregistered studies.
Trials by these institutes, doctors said, represent only a fraction of the registered clinical trials in the city, with “hundreds of unregistered trials” also being undertaken by medical colleges and healthcare institutions.
At Jayadeva Institute, a landmark international, multi-centre study, funded by the U.S.-based National Institutes of Health (NIH), examined treatment approaches for stable heart disease. The institution was among the two top contributors globally in terms of patient recruitment.
Institute director Dinesh B. said the study showed that an initial conservative approach using medication and lifestyle changes was as safe as invasive procedures such as stents or bypass surgery for most patients. “Opening up a blocked artery immediately did not necessarily prevent death or heart attacks better than strong medication,” he told The Hindu.
