In the spring of 2006, Rob Oldfield was 31 and in perfect health. He had recently returned from an acting course in LA, and a friend of his suggested that participating in a medical trial would be an easy way to make some money.
An American company, Parexel, was offering volunteers $3,680 (AUD$5,400) to test a drug intended to treat a form of leukemia, as well as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, by modulating the immune system. Rob was attracted by the possibility of making a scientific contribution and had gained the impression that the risks were minimal.
The experimental drug, TGN1412, had already undergone extensive tests in animals. In particular, it had been tested in long-tailed macaques and rhesus monkeys because of their relatively close relation to humans and had been found safe at doses 500 times higher than the dose given to the trial volunteers. This was the first time the drug would be tested in humans. On the ward at Northwick Park Hospital, London, eight healthy men aged 19 to 34 lay on their beds and received their doses 10 minutes apart, watching as the medication slid down the clear tubes and into their veins.
David Oakley, newly engaged and in the middle of planning his wedding, was first. Within minutes of receiving the drug, he developed a major headache, followed by severe pain in his lower back. He twisted and turned, trying to find a position that was less painful.
Then, almost immediately after receiving his dose, Rob realized something was terribly wrong. “My whole body went freezing cold and I started shaking,” he recalls. “This wasn’t something you could stop, it was so extreme. It was horrendous.”
Recent graduate Raste
