"I represent the Steroid Aid Group, which I founded in England 10 years ago when I discovered that I had become incurably ill, and that being ill meant being alone. I am no longer alone now, because I soon saw that there are many, many other people in my condition. We all got serious problems from side effects of the steroid drugs. Not the anabolic steroids that athletes take but those we get on prescriptions from our GP (General Practitioner). Prednisolone, Betnalan, and Betnosol are the names of some of them. The side effects can be disastrous. I have severe muscle wasting, bone problems, cataracts, stomach ulcer, heart problems because the water retention enlarges the heart. I have no adrenal function or immune system, because the drug kills these off and exhaustion is part and parcel of steroid therapy. Many people are even worse off than I, as they have diabetes and mental problems, which are listed effects. We are suing Glaxo, who assured us that the drugs were beneficial and totally harmless.
"My campaign has taken me twice to the House of Commons. I've twice had a mention in Hansard [Parliamentary Record] on the subject of patients being informed and helped and of course for compensation for those who are unable to work or are badly crippled.
"I did not give much thought to the use of animals in medical research until I came face to face with the subject myself. I had become increasingly worried about two things. One was that people taking steroids could actually die from side effects such as heart trouble, infections due to poor immune system, diabetes, adrenal loss, ie fatal shock and other complications. Also I was getting reports from women who had lost babies in pregnancy, or had deformed babies... I looked at the data on steroids in the Pharmaceutical Society Compendium and found that animals could have deformed fetuses but... quote... as yet there is no evidence that this occurs in humans... That made me ask, why can't those findings be applied to humans? I became suspicious, refusing to accept that after 40 years on the market there was no evidence at all according to them. The obvious answer is that they themselves don't believe that animal experiments mean anything.
"I am the living proof that animals experiments and vivisection are pointless. That terrible experiments had not prevented disasters like Thalidomide, Eraldin, Bute, Opren and many others including steroids.
"Animal tests had not prevented me from being so damaged that my retirement years are blighted for me and for those who love and care for me. Steroids produce 70 illnesses and bring about 50 side effects. Who benefits here? The drug makers of course. Not even the nicest doctors help when tragedy strikes. Where were the doctors when Thalidomide happened? Did they all march down Whitehall to Number 10 to protest?
"On TV last month I saw Professor Asher of Safety of Medicines say that side effect can only appear after the drug has been in use for some years. But no laboratory animal lives that long. They all die much sooner from lack of care, frustration, stress, pain and terror. So he accepts that we humans are the drugs testers.
"Then I saw in The Guardian that the Director of Eli Lilly, makers of Opren, said that 'drug makers must be allowed unforeseeable medical mistakes'. That means they can put a drug on the market and not be blamed. He was concerned that it would stifle progress if they had to be dishing out compensation. What he really meant was... it would stifle profits.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the people I fight for are young, they are crippled, they cannot work. I've had well over 3000 enquiries in letters and phone calls. Doctors ignore our plight because they have caused it. We are truly victims of the age. Medicine destroys us and we can't get justice. We are in effect no different from the poor animals used in these vicious experiments."
