Jolee Mohr, 36, who died from massive internal bleeding and organ failure on July 24, 2007, appears to be the victim of an experimental arthritis drug study.
Mohr, who suffered from mild arthritis, was injected with tgAAC94 -- a drug made of a genetically engineered virus with an extra gene. Once the drug is injected into a joint, the virus infects surrounding cells and continuously produces proteins that supposedly remove inflammatory molecules. Like other gene therapies, the idea is to have your body create its own medicine for months or years after the treatment.
However, animal studies have shown that the product can spread from the joint where it was injected and travel throughout the body, perhaps revving up your immune system to a dangerous level.
Mohr’s death has revealed several problems and failures within the system that is supposed to protect people from the risks of medical experimentation. Mohr’s husband stated she was told this treatment would make her knee better, when in fact she was taking part in an early-phase study, designed to see whether the treatment was safe, not to determine if it provides any therapeutic benefit.
Washington Post August 6, 2007