(Ecns.cn)--"Business is quiet recently. I haven't had a job for more than 20 days," said Li Chang, 22, who is a self-employed, professional new medicine testee.
Li, born in a village in Hebei Province, came to Beijing after graduating from senior high. He used to be a security guard, but quit since "it was too laborious and low-paid."
About two years ago, he heard from one of his fellow-villagers that a medicine testee could cash in thousands of yuan in just several days. Inspired by this, Li decided to be a testee himself.
"I'll do it. Why not?" said Li.
With the help of his fellow-villager, Li soon got his first job. "It was a test for a hypoglycemic drug. I made 1,000 yuan ($157) within one week," recalled Li.
Money first, health second
On August 16, Li signed a consent form for a test. Though the form specified the risks, Li did not read through it at all, and actually never looked through any similar forms since he began his new career.
"The form is nothing. It is the opportunity to make money that matters. If you hesitate to take the test, there are lots of people waiting in line," explained Li.
Growing up in a village, Li developed a brown, muscular body. "In the past I seldom suffered from influenza, but since being a testee, I seemingly catch a cold very easily, about five or six times every year. I sometimes even run a fever. Kind of a side effect, I guess?" said Li.
Li could not remember how many medicines he has tested. Speaking of the terrible memories, Li recalled that once a drug had caused severe dizziness, nausea, and unbearable pains. "I was very dizzy. But if I quit, I would get very little money."
However, Li still seems to be quite worried about his future. "Though I can make a profit through some "golden test" opportunities, the side effects usually tend to be quite serious. I am still single now and quite afraid of the possible after effects."
According to Cong Yali, vice head of the Institute for Medical Humanities at Peking University, medicine testing is quite dangerous. "The testees are making money at the expense of their health. This is in no different in essence from those who live on selling organs."
The professional testees can also affect the test results, Cong said, since they may try several therapies within a short period, which "can cause errors in the results, and will further affect the clinical trials on patients."
Li's fellow-villager also revealed that almost every test causes some side effects. He once saw a young guy being sent to the emergency room after taking a test.
"Once my nose would not stop bleeding, which really scared me. Sometimes, I also sweat abnormally and am out of breath after mounting some stairs," said the villager, adding that he still would like to be a testee due to the tidy profits.
