Clinical trial participation poses ethical, practical issues

March 5, 2009

It could be called one of the dark and enduring secrets of modern practice.

Several physicians say, on condition of absolute anonymity, that they earn tens of thousands of dollars annually by recruiting patients for clinical trials. One even admits that he’s earned as much as $2000 from a pharmaceutical firm for each patient that he persuaded to participate in a clinical trial of a cancer drug. (Canadian Medical Association Journal)