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The Daily Mail does lean toward the sensational, but if this story is true--and it appears to be--it is terrifying indeed:

The doctor battling to save the lives of six men who took part in a drug trial said today he's never dealt with a case like this before, describing the set of symptoms as 'unique'.

The men suffered inflammation which had subsequently affected other parts of their body, including their internal organs. [...]

"We do not know exactly what triggered the reaction," he said. [...]

Dr Suntharalingam refused to comment on reports that one patient's head had swollen to three times its normal size but said: "This sort of condition does require fluid and that does cause swelling. That swelling does go away on recovery but it's very distressing for the families to see. It is one aspect of intensive care that gets better as the patients get better." [...]

A volunteer taking part in the trial who was given a placebo and therefore escaped the effects described the appalling scene on the ward. [...] "The test ward turned into hell minutes after we were injected. The men went down like dominoes. First they began tearing their shirts off complaining of fever, then some screamed out that their heads felt like they were going to explode." [...]

He had no idea he was putting his life at risk by volunteering. "There was nothing on the form saying, "this could kill you, sign here."

The "remuneration for inconvenience" the subjects received was a whopping £2000. For that amount, hell, I would have done it.

Complete story: "Drug trial doctor reveals 'unique' symptoms"