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• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> Kate - Interview 13 >> Kate and her husband hoped a trial of grass pollen immunotherapy would improve their hay fever, and also help others in future. Free medication was an

Kate and her husband took part in a trial comparing injections of grass pollen antigen against a placebo as a way to reduce hay fever. Kate was in the experimental group and her husband in the placebo group.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> David - Interview 34 >> David joined a trial of treatments for asthma because he wanted to learn more about the condition, as well as to help medical research. The expenses p

David volunteered for a placebo-controlled trial of a new treatment derived from mouse DNA to improve asthma symptoms. He later discovered he was in the group taking a lower dose of the treatment, but he would not have minded being in the placebo group.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> Kate - Interview 13 >> Kate advises people to think carefully about the commitment involved before they agree. If you are going to pull out, do it as early as possible for t

Kate and her husband took part in a trial comparing injections of grass pollen antigen against a placebo as a way to reduce hay fever. Kate was in the experimental group and her husband in the placebo group.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer - Non-randomised studies >> Anthea - Interview 39 >> The drug company running the trials paid petrol money for people driving to the hospital, but Anthea would have taken part anyway.

Anthea was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2000. She has been in a randomised trial of treatment with interferon and is now in a phase 1 trial of a combination of drugs which attack the DNA of cancer cells.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Wendy - Interview 02 >> She was told she wouldn’t be paid, but any drugs she needed to manage side effects would be provided. However, she ended up having to pay for some dru

Wendy was invited to take part in a chemotherapy trial after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. She decided to take part, and was allocated to the experimental group. She experienced quite severe side effects but continued to the end of the treatment.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> David - Interview 34 >> He’d have been interested to see what happened if he had been in the placebo group. Before the trial he might have felt disappointed to get a placebo

David volunteered for a placebo-controlled trial of a new treatment derived from mouse DNA to improve asthma symptoms. He later discovered he was in the group taking a lower dose of the treatment, but he would not have minded being in the placebo group.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Wendy - Interview 02 >> The extra side effects meant she had to give up work and lost money as a result. There was a lot of disruption to family life, but they found a new ro

Wendy was invited to take part in a chemotherapy trial after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. She decided to take part, and was allocated to the experimental group. She experienced quite severe side effects but continued to the end of the treatment.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Screening, prevention other medical interventions >> Sabiha - Interview 19 >> Sabiha would have used her own annual leave to cover time off work for trial appointments.

Sabiha took part in a trial of breast screening for younger women (under 50). More recently she volunteered for a trial of cholesterol-lowering drugs but was not eligible because her cholesterol level was too low.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Screening, prevention other medical interventions >> Rosamund - Interview 18 >> Rosamund does not think people should be paid to be in trials, but staff need to recognise that people work and can’t always take time off easily.

Rosamund is taking part in a large trial testing the effectiveness of screening for ovarian cancer. She is in the control group, so she has no screening tests but completes regular questionnaires.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> Angela - Interview 23 >> Angela does not like the idea of paying people to take part. People need to volunteer if medicine is to make progress – but it was easier for her as s

Angela was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after taking part in a trial on nerve conduction. She has since been in a randomised trial of different drugs for Parkinson’s and would happily take part in another trial, despite having had side effects.(Angela is also on our Parkinson’s disease site, Interview 10).

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> David - Interview 34 >> The offer of a generous expenses package was attractive to David, though looking back he feels it was fair compensation for his time and effort.

David volunteered for a placebo-controlled trial of a new treatment derived from mouse DNA to improve asthma symptoms. He later discovered he was in the group taking a lower dose of the treatment, but he would not have minded being in the placebo group.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Screening, prevention other medical interventions >> Sabiha - Interview 19 >> Appointments at evenings and weekends would make it easier for people. A token payment for their time might also help, and would not put pressure on p

Sabiha took part in a trial of breast screening for younger women (under 50). More recently she volunteered for a trial of cholesterol-lowering drugs but was not eligible because her cholesterol level was too low.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Mental health trials >> Anton - Interview 28 >> A small payment doesn’t worry him, but if you pay too much it may attract the wrong people. When it’s a commercial company running a trial he expects

Anton has a long history of depression and has volunteered for several different trials in mental health, including trials of talking therapies as well as drug trials.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Long term conditions >> David - Interview 34 >> David advises people to think carefully about taking part in trials only for money. It’s different when it’s a new treatment for a condition you have.

David volunteered for a placebo-controlled trial of a new treatment derived from mouse DNA to improve asthma symptoms. He later discovered he was in the group taking a lower dose of the treatment, but he would not have minded being in the placebo group.