In the scope of medical advancement, perhaps no more valuable asset exists in the field of scientific endeavors than those of volunteer subjects in the development of new drugs. The detection and retention of qualified volunteer participants is so very critical in the assessment and implementation of pharmaceuticals and treatment courses that without them, medical progress in patient options would be at a literal standstill. The industry that thrives within the scientific community in drug development would shrink instantaneously without volunteerism, as funding available for the salaries of researchers and laboratory equipment would instead be diverted to the compensation of paid subjects.
Without volunteers in drug development, the costs associated with preparing and testing a new medication for release to the public would skyrocket far beyond what they are currently. As a commercial commodity, the prescription drug cost for the consumer would be beyond the economic feasibility of those with low or fixed incomes such as the disabled or elderly, resulting in a higher mortality rate based on simple supply and demand. In free-market economies without socialized medicine systems, the impact would be tragic, as many individuals would die based solely upon monetary factors. Highly skilled physicians would have a cure at their collective fingertips, with no means available to place necessary drugs in the hands of those patients most at risk.
While it is true that there are many diseases and conditions that can be researched using laboratory animals in general, there are specific issues that can only be addressed and resolved by using human subjects. Because of the precise nature of medical research, volunteer subjects must be screened meticulously to ensure that protocols are met in an exact manner. Without volunteers, the field of prospective subjects would shrink to those only concerned with financial compensation, and the quality of subjects would suffer as a result. Often times, volunteers are motivated by the desire to assist in finding elusive cures to conditions from which they themselves suffer, and their spirits are buoyed by the possibility of relief.
Volunteers are as important in the development of new drugs as the researchers themselves – and there is a mutual respect and necessity linking the two groups that cannot be altered
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