NZ guinea pig's horror story of failed drug trial and now cancer

New Zealander David Oakley has finally spoken of the catastrophic botched drug trial in Britain which swelled his head to Elephant Man proportions and has left him battling cancer.

The commerce student from Canterbury University and his wife, Katrina, have given their first interview since the day in March when he and five other healthy young men entered a hospital in northwest London for a drug trial.

Until yesterday, the 35-year-old driving instructor and keen marathon runner from Ealing, West London, had been known only as Patient A.

Britain's Mail on Sunday said Mr Oakley, who had taken part in two drug trials, decided to take part in a third test of drug TGN1412 and use the payment of about $6100 to make extra money for his wedding and the house he and Katrina were buying.

They have lost the house in the crisis.

"I still feel guilty that I did nothing to stop him," Katrina said.

"The whole thing has been a nightmare. We had dreams and they have been shattered. I see a future with a lot of pain and ups and downs. The cancer fear is like living with a timebomb."

Within minutes of being injected with the "wonder drug" designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia and multiple sclerosis, all six volunteers went into meltdown with a range of life-threatening reactions. Mr Oakley suffered crippling pains, his head ballooned, his internal organs collapsed and staff thought he would die.

At one point he threw up a litre of bile. Few people knew the appalling details and, after being told by doctors he should make a full recovery, the couple married two months ago on the Isle of Wight. Last week, Mr Oakley was told he has cancer.

"It's frightening. I'm trying not to be too down about the thought of having chemotherapy or that I might die. Katrina and I had planned to start trying for children six months after getting married, but we can't do that now. Everything is on hold."

The German firm that made the drug, TeGenero, has gone into liquidation and the company that conducted the test, Parexel, has not accepted any liability, although a $30,000 interim payment has been made to each of the six men by its insurers.

The six reported to be seeking damages of $15 million each.

The drug triggered a violent reaction in which the lymphocytes attacked healthy cells. Katrina described her shock at seeing her partner: "His stomach was distended as if he was pregnant and his face was like a ball with slits. He was unrecognisable. I was in floods of tears. I thought he was going to die," she told the newspaper.

Despite the trauma, Mr Oakley said he tried to remain positive. "I feel lucky to have survived - so far."