Pharmaceutical manufacturer and Wiyrkomi Corporation subsidiary GenoTech Systems released a shocking statement today in which it was confirmed that over one hundred employees and State citizens had died from complications relating to human trials of a new synthetic drug named Keceratine. The drug was apparently designed to counter the effects of a number of rare blood disorders and was released for final testing six months ago to a control group consisting of a random selection of the corporation's employees. Although the drug's effects on healthy citizens were predicted to be minimal, since the trials began a high number of subjects have been hospitalised due to severe hemorrhaging, blood clots and the failure of their internal organs. In many cases the trauma was severe enough to prove fatal.
Yotal Kamura, Deputy Director of the Keceratine project at GenoTech, was grave as he issued a statement to the press on behalf of the corporation this morning, where he said that, “It is with sadness and regret that I must report that the recent trials of Keceratine have unfortunately caused debilitating or even fatal side-effects in a significant number of our test subjects – over ten percent of the one thousand candidates originally selected. Our condolences go out to those affected by this tragedy, which is unprecedented in our corporation's history. The drug has been withdrawn and we will be thoroughly researching the circumstances regarding its development and its distribution.”
In regards to GenoTech's legal position regarding the drug's tragic impact, Kamura was quick to point out that “All of our employees have a clause in their contracts which guarantees their consent and agreement to participate in the trials of our new products. They are informed of which testing programs they are to be involved in, and in return for their cooperation they receive free healthcare and medical advice.” He went on to remind the press that “human trials are a compulsory part of the pharmaceutical development process, and without them we would fail to comply with State law.”
People in many quarters have been less than satisfied by GenoTech’s statement. “A drug as dangerous as this should not have given to this many people,” stated Matti Pilisur, a technician at rival company Bio- Solutions. “Serious mistakes have clearly been made and the public needs assurances that something like this will not happen again.” Others were more scathing, including Kaalakiota Corporation executive Cho Yen-Sang, who insisted in response to the statement that “GenoTech’s license to operate in the pharmaceutical market should be suspended until a full investigation is carried out by the State.”
Outside of the Caldari State however, many observers were asking more far-reaching questions. Amelie Souchain, a Gallente human rights lobbyist and a spokeswoman for the Federation-based charity organisation Freedom Aid, expressed her concerns on GalNet, where she wrote “The treatment that State corporations such as GenoTech give to their employees is quite frankly appalling. In the Federation such treatment would be criminal. The victims were most likely not told anything about the drug or its potential effects. Worse still, those affected badly by the drug have not been offered any form of compensation. These Caldari are being treated more like battery animals or lab rats than human beings.”
This setback comes at a bad time for GenoTech, whose share prices have been slipping for well over a year due to lacklustre sales and continued problems with their manufacturing facilities. Parent company Wiyrkomi Corporation have yet to comment about this situation, although it is almost certain that they will move to protect their interests by instituting changes throughout their subsidiary’s infrastructure. “It is a bad time to be an investor or an employee of Genotech,” commented Luto Hakikanen from Smart Kredit Share Banking in response to the news. “Heads are almost certainly going to roll.”