We've all seen the ads for Biovail and Pharmamedica, where you go in to test some drugs for cash. How safe are these things? I can sure use some extra cash now, but am not going to risk dying or becoming permanently sick. Anyone know?
Human Guinea Pigs: How Safe?
- Thread starter stinkynuts
- Start date
Here is a recent worst case scenario
On 13 March 2006, six healthy young volunteers took part in a clinical trial and became violently ill minutes after having been injected with a drug developed to fight autoimmune disease and leukaemia. One of the two additional volunteers injected with a placebo who showed no ill effects recalled to newspaper reporters: “The men went down like dominoes. They began tearing their shirts off complaining of fever, then some screamed that their heads were going to explode. After that they started fainting, vomiting and writhing around in their beds.”
One man became especially bloated, “like the Elephant Man”. All six suffered multiple organ failure, and were admitted to intensive care. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which gave approval for the trial, immediately withdrew authorisation; and an international warning went out to prevent the drug being tested abroad.
Two weeks later, two men remain in hospital; one still in intensive care and conscious, the other said to be making good progress [6]. The case is under investigation by the MHRA. But serious questions should also be asked concerning the MHRA’s approval for the trial in the first place.
more
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/LDTC.php
On 13 March 2006, six healthy young volunteers took part in a clinical trial and became violently ill minutes after having been injected with a drug developed to fight autoimmune disease and leukaemia. One of the two additional volunteers injected with a placebo who showed no ill effects recalled to newspaper reporters: “The men went down like dominoes. They began tearing their shirts off complaining of fever, then some screamed that their heads were going to explode. After that they started fainting, vomiting and writhing around in their beds.”
One man became especially bloated, “like the Elephant Man”. All six suffered multiple organ failure, and were admitted to intensive care. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which gave approval for the trial, immediately withdrew authorisation; and an international warning went out to prevent the drug being tested abroad.
Two weeks later, two men remain in hospital; one still in intensive care and conscious, the other said to be making good progress [6]. The case is under investigation by the MHRA. But serious questions should also be asked concerning the MHRA’s approval for the trial in the first place.
more
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/LDTC.php
I knew someone who used to work administering the clinical trials. She said that the testees were all drug addicts who claimed to be clean, but were actually full of everything, and who always wanted the most dangerous products because that was the most money. And they were always getting strange side effects and poisoning, but they did not care, they just took more drugs. It did not make me want to sign up.
I would suggest that you stay away. The companies are looking for guinea pigs. They have no clue what their concoctions are going to do. whatever they put into the volunteer's bodies cannot be good.
I remember back in university that numerous guys went for this for the cash. They got really messed up and had problems for a long time.
I remember back in university that numerous guys went for this for the cash. They got really messed up and had problems for a long time.
My last gf did it for a living, one study/month and she'd been doing it for 2 years before I met her. She never did mental health drugs or immune system drugs ( she had done one study for immune system drugs and had a year long side effect after). I was tempted but the blood draws can be brutal (every fifteen minutes for the first few hours), especially if you get a bad technician that misses the vein. Either you're on an enforced food study or a fasting study, sleep is almost non-existent and you don't even want to get into the psychological aspects of being locked up with 50 strangers for 3 days.
If you look at the websites for the companies mentioned by the original poster (Biovail and Pharma Medica), they are both involved in clinical studies for all clinical trial phases including Phase I which tests for safety of the drug.JessiMae said:
I believe the trial I mentioned previously was a Phase I (maybe Phase 0?) trial. And a lot of things went wrong for the test subjects to end up like they did.
It is up to the individual to look out for themselves and assess the degree of risk - you cannot depend on the company to do it for you.
