Did Ark. Veteran Hospitals Cover Up Fatal Human Experiments?

August 6, 2008— -- LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System faces accusations that it destroyed documents from human experiments and failed to report the deaths of more than 100 study subjects, a charge a top state official describes as overblown.

The Washington Times reported Tuesday that a report by the Veterans Affairs Administration's inspector general's office outlined the problems at the hospitals. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson told The Associated Press that some of those studies involved researchers on the faculty of the state's medical school, but denied the newspaper's claim that there was no oversight.

Most of the studies "were low risk. I honestly don't believe a single patient died because of this," Wilson said Tuesday. "This doesn't make sense."

The newspaper said the investigation began last year and reviewed human experiments involving the study of colon, breast and prostate cancer that had been conducted since 2006.

The newspaper said the investigation found that researchers had failed to report "serious adverse events" during the experiments, including the deaths of 105 veterans. The researchers were required to report such events to UAMS' Internal Review Board, regardless of whether they were accidental or linked to the experiments, according to the Times.

Wilson said the tests on those with breast cancer involved giving a patient a strong caffeine pill to find out how they metabolized the stimulant. Those tested gave urine samples several hours later, Wilson said.

The researcher heading the study later got permission to destroy documents identifying those involved in the study, the chancellor said.

"The investigator was worried (that), if the names ever got out, it would be a shame for the participating people," Wilson said.

Those with prostate cancer underwent a second biopsy as part of their study, Wilson said. Only one participant in a study on people who underwent heart surgery ever suffered a "serious event," he said.