Abbott must retract Wooldridge Trial

The Federal Government may be forced to retract its twenty million dollar trial of retractable syringes following allegations that the trial poses serious risks to the health and safety of participants.

Dubbed the “Wooldridge Trial”, the experiment is the subject of a complaint lodged by the Network Against Prohibition with the ethics committee responsible for the trial at a Sydney health service.

Kim Breheny, Executive Officer of the South East Sydney Area Health Service Health Research Ethics Committee, confirmed yesterday that an investigation has been commenced into allegations that the trial breaches principles of the Nuremberg Code.

The Nuremberg Code was drawn up in 1946 during the Nuremberg Trials, in which 23 Nazi physicians went on trial for crimes committed against prisoners of war. It consists of 10 conditions that must be met to justify research involving human subjects.

Wooldridge trial participants are given $25 to trial an experimental syringe without any supervision or medical backup.

NAP spokesperson Gary Meyerhoff said “The Wooldridge Trial was rejected by healthcare workers and diabetics and has been forced on people who inject illicit drugs by a Federal Government that views them as Untermenschen.”

Earlier in the week, the Network Against Prohibition demanded that Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott sack Michael Wooldridge from his position as chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Council on AIDS Sexual Health and Hepatitis after it was revealed that he stands to benefit from the introduction of retractable syringes in Australia.

Michael Wooldridge is a member of the advisory committee of the syringe manufacturer Ritract.

For further information call Gary Meyerhoff on 0415 16 2525 or see:

http://www.napnt.org/arse/syringegate.html

Further contacts:

Jennie Shortt (Assistant Director) Department of Health and Ageing Retractable Needle and Syringe Initiative: Population Health Division (02) 6289 1555

Their Department’s Retractable Syringe website: http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/needle/

Dr Fadil Pedic - The Research Forum: (02) 9687 4744

Ritract: (02) 8923 2511

South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service Research Ethics Committee:

Kim Breheny, Executive Director (02) 9382 3587