Follow The Science

Follow the money: Clinical trial ‘guinea pigs’ say they’re incentivized to lie

Private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often economically desperate test subjects each year, using incentives that some experts say are both exploitative and push participants to lie.
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Seized with anxiety after days of painful cramps and bloody stool, Franco answered a call from the research company that had been dosing him with an experimental medication in exchange for money.

A staffer told him their tests showed one of his organs was inflamed and that a doctor needed to examine him.

“Is this something, like, permanent?” Franco asked.

“I’m not a doctor,” said the staffer. “I can give you the basic information of what I know … Because of the results that we got, you can’t continue on the trial, OK?”

“I mean, I don’t have an option, right?” Franco replied.

Like many professional clinical trial participants, Franco normally stays quiet about the side effects he experiences. He only gets paid in full if he completes the entire study. Leaving early because of an adverse reaction means he’ll forfeit more than $15,000.

Private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often economically desperate test subjects each year, using incentives that some experts say are both exploitative and push participants to lie. When that happens, data that Health Canada uses to approve drugs for the marketplace can be compromised.

Franco and his peers are part of an underground society of so-called “professional guinea pigs” lured by cash, referral bonuses, loyalty points, and other perks advertised by private companies to encourage
them to sell their bodies for pharmaceutical research. […]

The government’s inspections of the trials themselves are limited. While Health Canada approves more than 1,000 trials every year, only a small fraction is inspected.

In a statement, Health Canada said it rigorously oversees clinical trials and works to protect the health and safety of participants.

The health agency said it aims to publish new regulations in spring 2025 that will “align with international best practices regarding trial oversight,” including changes that “would result in direct regulatory oversight of third parties involved in conducting clinical trials.” Health Canada did not say what those regulatory changes would be.