Lab Rats 'Treated Better Than Humans'

Animals used in medical research have more rights and protections than humans who participate in clinical trials, according to a federal investigation. The Food and Drug Administration has only 200 inspectors to monitor 350,000 clinical trials and most of their field reports are ignored, reports the New York Times.

 “In many ways, rats and mice get greater protection as research subjects than humans,” said one medical ethics expert. One elderly woman was kept in a psychiatric center against her will for four days to test an experimental drug. The FDA took no action on her complaint for nine months. (More Department of Health stories.)