Playing God with Neanderthals

If the process of getting consent is done properly then no subject should have a false sense of security. Also, no drug is approved for clinical trials if there is a known side effect that does cause permanent injury or death compared to the current standard of treatment. When such side effects are observed in larger pools of subjects a trial is immediately halted. That is a big no-no in the US. Subjects are paid for their time, but the pay is below levels that would be considered as an enticement. For our own trials we usually calculate around $12/hr for travel and time spent with the study coordinator. We are also careful in screening possible subjects to judge whether or not this small amount of reimbursement would sway their consent. I have had to sit through the training so it is nice to shovel this on someone else for a change.