New Delhi Stiff opposition from research organisations on how clinical trial victims should be compensated has dealt a blow to health ministry’s efforts to legislate the matter. The ministry was on the brink of making it mandatory for pharmaceutical companies sponsoring clinical trials to pay up financial compensation to volunteers in case a trial-related death or injury is proved.

Under the proposed law, the onus of proving that clinical trials did not cause death or injury, was expected to lie with the drug company. Failure to pay up the compensation within a specified time would have not only led to suspension or cancellation of the ongoing trials,