Are Medical Trials Paid in the UK? An Honest Answer

Search online for medical trials and you will quickly run into headlines about people earning thousands of pounds for taking part in research. It is one of the most common things people want to know before they enquire about a study, and it is also one of the most misunderstood.

The honest answer is that it depends entirely on the type of research, and that most trials in the UK do not pay a fee at all. This guide explains the difference, so you know what to expect before you contact anyone.

The two different kinds of research

Almost all of the confusion comes from lumping two very different types of study together.

Healthy volunteer studies. These are early stage studies, usually Phase 1. Researchers are testing how a new medicine behaves in the human body for the first time, so they need people who are healthy and do not have the condition the drug is eventually meant to treat. Participants often stay in a research unit for days or weeks at a time, with restricted diet, restricted activity and frequent tests.

Because that is a significant commitment of time and freedom, these studies usually pay. The payment is compensation for time and inconvenience rather than a reward for taking a risk, and the amounts reported in the press are almost always from this type of study.

Patient studies. These are later stage studies involving people who already live with a particular condition, such as asthma, psoriasis, high blood pressure or anxiety. Participants carry on living their normal lives and attend a clinic for scheduled appointments.

These studies usually do not pay a fee. What they do offer is reimbursement of reasonable travel costs, so attending appointments does not leave participants out of pocket.

Most clinical research in the UK falls into the second category.

Where 4MCS sits

To be completely clear: trials run by 4MCS are unpaid.

We conduct patient studies, working with people who already live with a specific health condition. Reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed, but there is no fee for taking part. If you are looking for a way to earn money, a 4MCS study is not it, and we would rather say so plainly than have anyone find out after making an enquiry.

You can see what studies we currently have open if you would like to know what is running regardless.

Why people take part anyway

If there is no payment, the obvious question is why anyone bothers. In practice participants give a fairly consistent set of reasons.

Closer monitoring. People with long-term conditions often go months between NHS appointments. On a study you are seen regularly by a clinical team, with checks and tests that go well beyond routine care. For someone whose condition has been poorly controlled, that attention is genuinely useful.

Access to something new. Study treatments are not available through normal NHS prescribing. For people who have worked through the standard options without much success, a trial can be a route to something different.

Contributing to something. This comes up more often than you might expect. People who have struggled with a condition for years frequently say they want the next person diagnosed to have better options than they did. Every treatment currently available exists because someone took part in research.

Being taken seriously. Several participants describe the experience of sitting with a research nurse who has time to ask detailed questions about their symptoms as unusual, and welcome.

Why payment is handled carefully

There is a reason regulators are cautious about paying participants, and it is worth understanding rather than assuming it is stinginess.

If payments are large, they can become a reason to take part in themselves. Someone short of money might play down a health problem in order to qualify, or stay in a study when they would rather leave. That puts people at risk and it also damages the research, because consent given for financial reasons is not really informed consent.

Keeping payment out of patient studies, and limiting it to expenses, means the decision to take part rests on whether the study is right for you rather than on what you might earn.

What you should expect to be offered

For a typical patient study in the UK, reasonable expectations are:

• Reimbursement of travel costs to and from the research site
• All study related tests, assessments and treatment provided at no cost to you
• Appointments scheduled in advance so you can plan around work and family
• Regular contact with a clinical team throughout

What you should not expect is a fee, and you should be cautious about any organisation implying otherwise for a patient study.

Read more: Medical Trials Paid

Questions worth asking before you sign up

Whichever study you are considering, and whoever is running it, these are reasonable things to ask:

• Is this study paid, or are expenses reimbursed only?
• What exactly will I be asked to do, and how many visits are involved?
• How long does the study last, including follow-up?
• What are the known risks and side effects?
• Who has approved this study?
• What happens if I want to stop partway through?

A well run research site will answer all of these without hesitation. In the UK, every trial must be authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and approved by an independent research ethics committee before it can recruit anyone. The NIHR also explains why taking part in research matters and what participants can expect more generally.

You can always change your mind

This applies whether a study pays or not. You can withdraw at any point, for any reason, without giving an explanation. It does not affect the NHS care you receive, and it does not need to be justified to anyone.

That right exists precisely because nobody should feel trapped in a study, financially or otherwise.

Finding out more

4MCS runs unpaid clinical research from two MHRA-approved sites, one in Swinton in Greater Manchester and one in Ilford in East London. If you live with a long-term health condition and want to know whether you could take part in a study, the team will talk you through what is involved and what is offered, with no obligation to go further.

Contact: 03300 575 838 | [email protected] | clinicaltrialsuk.org.uk

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Always speak to your GP or a qualified healthcare professional about your own health, and never stop or change prescribed medication without medical guidance.