| | |  Health & Beauty 
How I Swapped a Medical Trial For a Free Holiday in Mexico
 Rachel Rickard Straus - Telegraph UK
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February 20, 2010
| | Rachel Rickard Straus found taking part in a medical trial a painless way to visit Mexico for free. | |
I decided not to let cynicism get in the way and signed up for the first of two appointments at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases to find out more. Here, I interrogated the study nurse, who assured me that yes, the drug had been trialled before with no serious side-effects and no, I would not be forced to eat street food or put up with a stay in a cockroach-infested travellers' hovel.
The first step was to trial the drug in the form of a large sticking plaster I had to wear on my arm for six hours. A few hours after taking it off, the area where it had been was swollen in a red rash that itched for several days. I was told by the nurse that few people have such a bad reaction.
Such assurances did little for my scepticism. In fact, I was so full of disbelief that when a cash card arrived to cover my hospital travel expenses, I discarded it thinking it was unsolicited junk mail. But I decided to go ahead with the trip, boarding the flight to Mexico City with more than a little trepidation.
I was met at the airport by a friendly guide and taken to Casablanca, a five-star hotel in the centre of the city. Other participants were similarly disbelieving. For several days I lapped up the Mexican sunshine, admired the incredible Mayan pyramids and even took a road trip to San Miguel de Allende, a world heritage site.
While in Mexico I had to attend brief appointments on the first and last day of my stay and keep a health diary including details of bowel movements. If I had got ill – and here is the nasty bit – I would have had to record it and provide stool samples. However, at the medical centre I was told that of 50 participants they had seen so far, only one had got ill.
"It's winter. Who gets ill in winter?" the doctor said.
By my reckoning, my Mexican holiday must have cost Intercell, the pharmaceutical company that paid for it, more than £1,000. The company does this because it needs to test out the drug on genuine travellers. Initially they were looking for American participants, but there was a lack of volunteers following the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico, so they turned to Britons and Germans. A total of 1,800 volunteers are currently being recruited to take part in the trial.
Eight weeks and one follow-up appointment later, I am still left with a small, brown mark from the drug trial. But when I recall sitting outside on a beautiful Mexican evening listening to street musicians and tucking into delicious tacos, it seems a small price to pay.
• Clinics associated with the programme experienced by the writer are found in Belfast, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Birmingham and Reading. Five "holiday" destinations are offered in Mexico, four in Guatemala and several more in India. Flights and seven nights' accommodation are included. Participants must be between 18-64 years of age and in general good health. See www.trekstudy.com for more information.
• Before rushing into any medical trial it is important to understand the objectives of the research and any potential risks or inconveniences. A spokesman for the Department of Health advises people to look at the NHS website, which offers advice and questions to ask when deciding whether to take part in a trial. See www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Clinical-trials/Pages/Introduction.aspx The sponsor of the medical trial provides free travel insurance to cover illness related to the study, but it is worth taking out cover for other aspects of the trip. According to a spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, most insurance companies will provide cover for aspects of travel not related to the trial, such as baggage loss, accidents and non-related illness. |
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