Drug Trial Victim Expected To Receive More Than £2 Million

Twenty-two year old Ryan Wilson, who was one of the worst affected in the so-called "Elephant Man" drug trials, is expected to receive around £2 million pounds in compensation when an independent QC assesses his claim next month.

Six people took part in the test in March 2006at a North London hospital, during which they were given the drug TGN 1421, a drug that was hoped to be a cure for conditions as varied as arthritis, leukemia and MS.

Far from being a miracle cure, the drug caused such severe side effects that Mr Wilson's body swelled to three times its size and doctors were forced to put him in a medical coma for nearly three weeks. Wilson suffered liver, heart and kidney failure and had to have all of his toes and some of his fingers amputated. Now, two years on, he still lives in constant pain, with a dramatically reduced immune system.

nFor the past two years Parexel, the research group behind the trials, have refused to accept any blame for what went wrong. However, lawyers for the victims have amassed evidence, which is claimed to show that the company was negligent. Sources suggest that Parexel may now finally be willing to compensate the victims.