Bengaluru: HCG cancer hospital to face probe today over alleged illegal clinical trials

Bengaluru’s prominent HCG Cancer Hospital is set to face a high-level investigation today by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) following serious allegations of illegal clinical trials. The probe was triggered by complaints from retired Justice P. Krishna Bhatt, who served as the Chairperson of the hospital’s Ethics Committee from 2023 to June 2025.

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Justice Bhatt alleged multiple irregularities in the conduct of 51 clinical trials during his tenure. The CDSCO investigation team will visit the hospital today to gather detailed information about these trials, including the nature of experiments conducted, medicines administered, and treatment protocols followed.

A critical area of focus will be the number of patient deaths during the trial period. The team will collect data on patient conditions at the time of admission, treatment provided at the hospital, and if any post-mortem reports exist. They also intend to investigate whether the deceased patients’ families were informed properly and whether informed consent was taken from those who participated in the trials.

Further, the probe extends to Dr. BS Ajay Kumar, Chairman of the hospital’s governing board, who previously worked in the US. His medical license was reportedly revoked there due to violations related to clinical trials. The investigators aim to find out how, despite this, he was permitted to conduct trials in Karnataka.

Authorities are also looking into whether any form of inducement was offered to patients to participate in the trials. The investigating team may interact with the families of the deceased for clarity on what transpired.

Meanwhile, the HCG administration has stated it is fully cooperating with the authorities and has all required documentation ready.