Every year millions of volunteers take part in clinical trials for extra money. Some do it to pay off debt or finance a vacation, while others make it a supplement income to their living. Anyone willing to be a 'human guinea pig' can potentially earn thousands of dollars per year.
In 2006 Robbin Stewart came across an advert asking for participants for a clinical trial and discovered he could make money. Since then, he has participated in 50 different research studies.
"I did a couple of small clinical trials when I was in school, so I was aware of them. Then back around 2006, I was looking for a way to make money, and I got into doing them as a job.
“The trial I'm in right now is in Wisconsin, and it's a treatment for Hepatitis B. This is my fiftieth clinical trial. Money is the main reason I participate. I did four trials in 2020. It's like my profession. When most of us do jobs, we don't do it for what it is; we do it for work. You get paid, and you make a contribution to your living."
Participation not only provides Robbin with an income but also plenty of time off to do what he pleases.
“Some years are good. This past year I made $24,000, which was probably the best year ever, and then some years, I've broken even and not really made a lot. I got into it hoping I could make at least $10,000 a year, and I've generally been able to do that. I just need a little bit to live on. I'm kind of lazy, and my house is paid for. It gives me a lot of time off to stay on the computer all day.”