Searching for the Unicorns
Unicorns are magical. They only appear once in awhile. What is a unicorn? It is the big study that pays a substantial amount of compensation. Occasionally, study protocols require extraordinary requirements like staying in-house for 60 days or making 75 out-patient visits or involve unusual procedures. These studies typically pay more than the studies that make up the bulk of Phase 1 trials. It’s very hard to tell when clinics will get these unicorn studies.
When a sponsor decides to do a study, they submit proposals to several clinics in order to get the most compatible bid which includes reputation, past study results and of course overall cost. I notice that a lot of clinics inform staff about potential studies they have bids on and the staff relay this information to the subjects and then it spreads like wildfire as fact. Unfortunately, not every study a clinic bids on will come to pass. If your eligible to do a study, it’s best that you choose one that starts as soon as possible because most screening processes from screen to check-in can spread over a few weeks. The longer you wait for the unicorn study, the greater the chance that you will miss other doable studies and depending on the time of the year, you may miss out altogether.
While high paying studies are great, all studies are equally important. There are studies out there to suit almost anyone’s schedule. Weekend and multi-stay studies work great for students and traditional M-F workers. Longer studies work great for those looking for an alternate lifestyle than the normal grind. In the end, all the studies allow advances in medical science which allows millions of people to live better, healthier lives.
