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is it safe to be a lab rat for a pharmaceutical company?

[Catll]

why not?

[rigz]

The main problems with becoming a test subject for a pharmaceutical company are:  First, one looses their status as being a person and patient, to merely becoming a number. In my personal case, I became, “Patient 1126.” Secondly, the doctor gains a new title, “Principal Investigator,”and becomes paid directly by the sponsor (pharmaceutical company) rather than by his/her patient. This means, being paid big bucks from the sponsor rather than tiny dollars by the patient, thus resulting in loyalty transformation from patient to sponsor. Third, due to the patient no longer being any more than a number, the patient becomes lost as part of the data collected, and while adverse side effects are noted, they are not treated, and often overlooked to keep subject on study for more data, meaning more bucks. “Your study doctor will be paid by the sponsor (Hoffmann-La Roche,Ltd) to conduct this research study.”
(Subject Information and Consent Form p.2 of 16 Approved 03/15/2007)

I signed several contracts and initialed every page ranging from “The Purpose Of The Study, to the “Medical Treatments For Injuries” which states, “...Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. will pay for the cost of medical treatment (over what the [your] insurance company pays) for any injury that is due to treatment with the study medications [Interferon/Ribavirin] when used as described in the study protocol. No other compensation will be offered.” (Subject Information and Consent Form p. 13 of 16 Approved 03/15/2007)

However, I do know that the lower doses are given to group A and group B which needs 190 subjects for each group (a total of 380 subjects.) It is group C and group D who will be taking the higher doses, and there will be 380 subjects in each group, (a total of 760 subjects.) All 760 subjects will receive 360 ug, double the average interferon dose, leaving the remaining half of subjects taking the higher dose of ribavirin (1600 mg) Therefore, twice as many subjects will be needed for the high doses.   (Subject Information and Consent Form p. 3 of 16 Approved 03/15/2007)