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Has anyone participated in any of these in your area and been compensated for it ? I saw a little news thing on TV about this woman who stays home with her kids and makes a part time income from these clinical trials. She chooses the ones she wants to do and makes up to $1000 for some of them. I signed up and have so many things wrong with me that I think I will make a bundle this way !
Drug companies pay volunteers for clinical trials in the earliest phase of the trials known as phase 1 studies which is the first time that the drug has been given to humans.
These are "healthy volunteers.
They may also sometimes pay people who have the condition that is being investigated, but often people with multiple other conditions will be excluded from the trial and their is a screening process to go through (maybe bloods, EKG etc) before entry to make sure the person meets the trial criteria.
Also bear in mind that being in a clinical trial may affect your health insurance coverage and that their are risks involved eg potential side effects that are known, but also ones that may not already be known about ie unexpected events some of which may be serious.
The risks involved really depend on the type of drug and the health and age of the subject.
Years ago, I took part in an investigation of something where they wanted people who had allergic reactions to shellfish. Since I had a systemic reaction more than once (I call them UFOs, unidentified fried objects, in New Orleans you never know if it has ground up shrimp or crab), they took me in. I thought $250/day was a lot but I was hooked up to an IV with a hep-lock all day, had to drink icky smoothies, and wait to see if I got a reaction to any of them. I decided that was nowhere NEAR enough money! And then they implied I had never had a reaction since I didn't react to anything I was given to drink. Apparently my systemic reactions were a thing of the past. I now eat shellfish in reasonable amounts but still react to iodine.
Basically, people who participate in these studies are being paid for them time, and for taking a risk that may not be well calculated. As SouthernBelleInUtah pointed out, it's best to ask what you will need to do for your money. Some studies might require you to only take a medication and have your vital signs taken regularly. Others might require more invasive or time consuming tests, such as MRIs, blood tests, etc.
Side effects are certainly a concern. However, depending on how to study is designed, some subjects might being a control group, in which case they will be given a pill that has no effect whatsoever (this is know as a placebo.) In general, the subjects in the control group would not run little, if any, risk of side effects, since they are not receiving any medication. In most cases, you cannot request to be in the control group, and you will not be told if you are in the control group (at least not until the study has concluded.) I many cases, a "double blind" method is used, in which case not even the researchers know which patients are in which group.
When you consider reimbursement, keep in mind that the drug is being provided at no charge. If the medication is beneficial for you, that's some pretty thick icing on the cake, especially of the medication is expensive.
Every since drug that they FDA has ever approved has been tested on humans in its early stages of development. It is a necessary step for the development of any drug. It is therefore important for people to volunteer for these studies. However, these individuals must weigh the risks, time, and benefits before signing on the dotted line.
My son's been doing healthy volunteer clinical trials off and on for extra money for about 3 months now. He made over $4,000 for a 20 day stay on one trial alone. He said it was like a vacation lol. All they had to do was sit (or lay) around watching TV or playing video games. They were provided free internet access and of course all meals and drinks were free. He took one pill a day for 10 of the days and then dosed up to 2 pills for 5 days. They took blood and urine daily but that was the most invasive procedures required. He says he would prefer doing trials over a "normal" job any day regardless of the possible risks. I'm not sure I agree but as he reminds me all the time -- "it's his life" lol
Hi Poison_Ivy, would you be kind enough to ask your son what clinical trial was that? $4,000 is a lot of money and my husband is interested in trying it if he would qualify. Appreciate your response. Regards
Hi Poison_Ivy, would you be kind enough to ask your son what clinical trial was that? $4,000 is a lot of money and my husband is interested in trying it if he would qualify. Appreciate your response. Regards
It was for Quintiles in Overland Park, Kansas and the drug was one they were testing for use in diabetics I believe. Their trials don't last very long once they fill the spots with volunteers but there are always new ones popping up. They have one running for females only atm that pays over $6,000. You can check it out on their Facebook page: facebook.com/quintileskc
Has anyone participated in any of these in your area and been compensated for it ? I saw a little news thing on TV about this woman who stays home with her kids and makes a part time income from these clinical trials. She chooses the ones she wants to do and makes up to $1000 for some of them. I signed up and have so many things wrong with me that I think I will make a bundle this way !
It all depends. I particpated in one for a sleeping pill. It required overnight stays where they monitored your brain activity through the night and woke you up and did a PET scan. It was a big hastle for the amount of money I received. I did it thinking I might receive some benefit but I didn't. I previously had a sleep apnea study with negative results so I thought this might show something different. You will receive very little feedback on a research study. They will only report back to you or your physician if something is seriously wrong such as a brain tumor. Each of my overnight stays required me to fill out endless questionaires on my mood, thoughts, etc. It was very tedious. I think a study that paid $1000 would have some reason why it paid so much. It might be potential risk, time involved, or some other factors.
Usually the studies that pay the most are the most onerous ...
The gentleman in question - that was no doubt a 20day CONFINEMENT study.
So - you give up 20 days of your life.
My husband did some of these in the early days of our marriage when we were broke. Also, I worked for a company that did them, so I was able to steer him towards drugs that I felt were the safest risk.
He worked Retail, and could often arrange his schedule so that he could have up to 5 days off sequentially.
But - again - you are confined. They will provide all food, but that's ALL you eat. No fast food, no take out. They are measuring everything very carefully. Usually there's little exercise (they don't want strenuous exercise to cause a reaction) - so when the gentleman that was quoted said "lay" around, he wasn't kidding.
I was not allowed to visit my husband when he was in confinement, even though I worked at the site (not in clinical trials though). I think they may have allowed visitors on sunday. But not 100% on that.
His experiences were relatively positive, but he did have a bad reaction to one compound - it made him violently extremely nauseous.
Also, the money is paid ot you for your services - therefore it is not "free". It would normally be reported as taxable income.
Not saying its a good or bad way to make money, just that its not necessarily an "easy" way to make money.
I suppose it's up to each to decide how they would view the situation. But I know that my son sits on his duff playing video games and watching TV when he's at home anyway so he didn't consider himself "confined" but I can see how some might. Was he allowed to leave the clinic during the 20 days? No he was not. But he was most definitely allowed visitors and he could call out whenever he wanted. He was allowed his own cell phone, laptop etc.
Briolat21 is correct in the statement that they were not allowed fast food or take out and were expected to eat the food provided to them but I received texts with every meal telling me what they were being served and it was nothing to complain about. They also were given fresh fruit and muffins etc. and all the water they could drink. He came out much healthier than he went in, that much I can say truthfully. And yes the money IS taxable and has to be reported on your tax return. But I would think that would be expected from anyone deciding to commit to such a trial.
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