Thoughts from a Lab Rat

Radiolabel studies – Pretty much every radiolabel study I have seen pays the subjects based on the length of time spent in the study. In fact, most studies will be structured with a minimum amount of time you can spend and with the longest expected time being used as the basis for payment. Additionally, most radiolabel studies are a single dose. The reason for adding the carbon 14 to the study drug is so it appears better in the blood sample. So let’s say you see a radiolabel study advertised as $4500 for 21 days. In actuality, you will spend a minimum of around 10 to 14 days and will only be paid a daily rate if you don’t spend the entire 21 days in house. The discharge requirements of a radiolabel study usually require the radioactivity level in your urine and fecal samples to drop a certain percentage over a certain period of time after a certain period of time has passed since dosing. So, again, if your results constitute discharge early, you only get paid to that point. So, that is where my beef lies with radiolabel studies. Some people get paid more because it took their body longer to process the drugs than the next person. I feel that everyone in a radiolabel study should be paid the same regardless of how long it takes to excrete. Everyone is taking the same risk, the same amount of drug and the same amount of carbon 14. I would like to see drug companies and clinics change this policy to that the payment is fair to all participants in radiolabel studies.