Future St Kitts-Nevis vaccine trials will follow FDA guidelines

By Ken Richards
The herpes vaccine company, whose offshore trial in St Kitts and Nevis sparked an ethics backlash, has promised that future testing will follow US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Guidelines.

Rational Vaccines conducted a clinical trial for its herpes vaccine in St Kitts and Nevis in 2016 without oversight by the FDA or another traditional body.

Critics in the medical community in the United States and elsewhere said it was unethical for Rational Vaccines to run such an unmonitored clinical trial.

The St Kitts and Nevis administration says it was not aware that the herpes vaccine trial had been conducted in the federation, and the ministry of health says the matter is being investigated.

The trial is reported to have taken place between April and August of last year.

Former chief medical officer Patrick Martin, who went on pre-retirement leave in June 2016, said didn’t know about the trial.

“It is a fact that there was a trial taking place, as a matter of fact two trials were taking place around the same time, stem cells and herpes vaccine, I was not aware of both of them. How come? I guess the investigation the ministry of national security is undertaking, according to the release for the ministry of health will unearth those details,” Martin said.

WINN FM asked if both trials were linked.

“Well they occurred in St Kitts, they involved medical experiments, the stem cell experiment was known to a number of persons inside and outside of the Ministry of Health except the office of the CMO which ought to have known about it. And judging from some of the internet posts and Facebook posts it appears as though some people ought to have known about the herpes trial also,” Martin said.

He replied, “Absolutely not!” when he was asked if he knew about the trials.

Martin has promised to cooperate with the investigation, if he is asked to assist that probe.

“It’s country above self, I don’t have to be asked I put out a statement before being asked so that sends a message that I am available,” he said.

The vaccine was developed by the late university professor William Halford.

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