Parexel promote subjects who Dual study enroll on Youtube!
Feb 23, 2019 14:48:32 GMT -5
vark, caligirl, and 1 more like this
Post by brat on Feb 23, 2019 14:48:32 GMT -5
The video mentioned above has been replaced by a watered down promo. I concur with your observation about lack of regard for safety after 2 experiences, one at each location.(Aside: I'm educated, articulate, have good social skills, a good professional resume, and present well).
RECRUITING:
Staff are very pleasant and accommodating on the phone, but they just do the initial health questionnaire and make screening appointments, so don't expect anything more. If you get referred to a coordinator for further questions, don't expect a call back or any answers if they do get around to it.
The promo film location isn't anything like reality. The hospital and screening location are in a sketchy neighborhood my Uber driver didn't want to go to even at 11 am on a sunny spring day. He actually asked me if I was sure I wanted to be left there, stating it was known for crazy junkies and drug related shootings. The buildings are drab and in need of serious updating, so the film crew used copious editing and camera angles to make it all look good. Apparently the top floor of the hospital has an amazing view, but according to what I saw and another screener shared who'd done a study there, it's really not a good situation (except for the view) due to the negative attitude and lack of professionalism of the staff and age of the facility, even if the money is tempting.
The screening location is a very shabby old building, last update circa 1950. Staff not busy, unwelcoming (rude), and clearly did not want to be there. The study recruiter was up front about having 2 screens 1-3 days apart, so flying in from out of state, a place to stay was needed. It was an $8.5 K study with one long IP stay and only a phone follow up over 3 months, so I decided to take the risk. During screening #1 we were not given information about the study, name of the drug, and we did not see the Dr or study coordinator. Just the labs M'aam!
After hearing nothing Day 1-2, I called. No reply. Day 3 - still no news, and it was clear that my query was an imposition. After 4 days of waiting (5 unpaid days total out of my life and $800 already invested on airfare, lodging, etc) I decided I'd probably not made the screen and rather than forfeit return flight cost, I flew home. They called on day 7 and wanted me to return for the second screening (equal to another $1500 investment, total pre-study cost now at $2300 with no acceptance). I asked again about the study drug, etc. No info again, so I decided the communication was as sketchy as the neighborhood and with the vibe that bad from the beginning and still not informed about the drug/purpose/etc, the rest would follow suit, so I declined, in favor of another phase II study paying less at a much more welcoming facility closer by.
Is closer, but still requires several hours of travel. I'd originally called about another study with longer inpatient and 2 OPV's, but was concerned because when I had the recruiter ask, it turned out to be a psych drug, and I mentioned I no interest in those. The recruiter mentioned another study that had not yet been posted that paid a lot more and was seeking my demographic. She could tell me nothing about the drug, and after my last experience in Baltimore I was not interested in wasting more time and funds, so I asked to speak to someone who could tell me more. I was referred to the study coordinator, who was clearly not pleased about the interruption. She literally told me I had no business asking her (logical) questions and because I was not a Dr. so I knew nothing, and without a breath or allowing me to speak told me if I wanted to know more I could schedule a screening, then hung up. (I'll call her the "Dragon Lady" from now on.) It was within my trajectory and it paid $7200, so I did, with no information except estimated inpatient and outpatient visits spanning 11 months, a significant amount of time, even for the pay involved.
For that I was referred back to the Dragon Lady(DL) because he still had another prospect to meet with. DL (again with no pauses) told me I'd get a call within a week to let me know if I was in, and said to sign the consent forms so if I were approved, it would save a trip, and she did not have time to answer my questions since it was already 4:40 and they close at 5, and it was all available online if I wanted to search the NIH database...as she physically guided me towards the exit into the reception area and closed the door.
That took 9 hours plus 3 hours travel with no food, nothing offered after the labs except a drinking fountain, so my energy level was rock bottom. It was not until I was in my car that I realized the DL had not provided me with copy of the study protocol/signature pages, so I went back inside and politely asked for them. Reception called DL, who could be heard yelling at the receptionist. I was met with refusal, told I would get the copy if admitted. My reply was a polite negative, that I was entitled to copies of everything I signed. Insert more yelling on the other end of the phone line...after which I was threatened with having security called to remove me if I did not leave. I was in total shock at the apparent over-reaction, and weak from 24 hours of no food, so I left.
There's a reason this company had to create a "clean and shiny" promo video and post it in public forums. This is not a reputable organization. Their practices are dishonest, the diespect for the study participant is overt, treatment abusive, and I DO NOT recommend anyone trust this company with their health well being, or life.
RECRUITING:
Staff are very pleasant and accommodating on the phone, but they just do the initial health questionnaire and make screening appointments, so don't expect anything more. If you get referred to a coordinator for further questions, don't expect a call back or any answers if they do get around to it.
BALTIMORE:
The screening location is a very shabby old building, last update circa 1950. Staff not busy, unwelcoming (rude), and clearly did not want to be there. The study recruiter was up front about having 2 screens 1-3 days apart, so flying in from out of state, a place to stay was needed. It was an $8.5 K study with one long IP stay and only a phone follow up over 3 months, so I decided to take the risk. During screening #1 we were not given information about the study, name of the drug, and we did not see the Dr or study coordinator. Just the labs M'aam!
After hearing nothing Day 1-2, I called. No reply. Day 3 - still no news, and it was clear that my query was an imposition. After 4 days of waiting (5 unpaid days total out of my life and $800 already invested on airfare, lodging, etc) I decided I'd probably not made the screen and rather than forfeit return flight cost, I flew home. They called on day 7 and wanted me to return for the second screening (equal to another $1500 investment, total pre-study cost now at $2300 with no acceptance). I asked again about the study drug, etc. No info again, so I decided the communication was as sketchy as the neighborhood and with the vibe that bad from the beginning and still not informed about the drug/purpose/etc, the rest would follow suit, so I declined, in favor of another phase II study paying less at a much more welcoming facility closer by.
GLENDALE:
The screening facility is much better than Baltimore, in a nice building/area adjacent to the inpatient hospital/study facility, which has good reviews. The reception staff are about the same vibe as Baltimore, but even less "receptive." I had an 8 AM appointment. The (normal) labs took over 5 hours, even though there were only 6 people screening, with a lot of waiting in between each part. Same with the consults. The lab staff were surprisingly kind and pleasant,apparently from the main hospital, so they were well trained, no extra vein sticks required, and I relaxed. Again, no info about the drug or the study particulars until after all labs completed. 2 hours after labs completed, the Dragon Lady came for me. Her office looked comfy, but her demeanor was about as (un)welcoming as on the phone. She spoke without a breath, with no opportunity for me to ask questions, did not want to answer any when there was time, and assured me there was no danger except maybe a headache, nausea, vertigo, and that because no one else from my demographic (non-minority) was screening, assuring me I was a shoe-in for the "big money" as she almost pushed me out the door into another waiting area, where I sat for another 90 minutes, listening to the other screeners (all male, not caucasian) getting chewed out by their foremen because they were not at work. It was already 3 PM.
Then I saw the Dr. who looked me directly in the eye, was very kind, and stated I "deserved to know all of the possibilities." So, I finally got the actual name of the drug and what it did. It was a first in humans psych drug for schizophrenia that in previous animal studies yielded stroke, heart, kidney/liver, sterility in 19% and neurological damage in 22% of the animal subjects, although they had no idea if it would do the same in humans. I was a bit shocked because I'd already stated I was not interested in psych drugs, and asked questions about how it worked and why that might have happened. I was given a bunch of verbal information that it crossed the blood-brain barrier and altered enzymes and neurotransmitters that effected communication between left-right brain, parasympathetic nervous system, and brain issues, which I wrote down, but needed more help translating it into english (even after having completed training in anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology).
That took 9 hours plus 3 hours travel with no food, nothing offered after the labs except a drinking fountain, so my energy level was rock bottom. It was not until I was in my car that I realized the DL had not provided me with copy of the study protocol/signature pages, so I went back inside and politely asked for them. Reception called DL, who could be heard yelling at the receptionist. I was met with refusal, told I would get the copy if admitted. My reply was a polite negative, that I was entitled to copies of everything I signed. Insert more yelling on the other end of the phone line...after which I was threatened with having security called to remove me if I did not leave. I was in total shock at the apparent over-reaction, and weak from 24 hours of no food, so I left.
The next day, I got a call from the Dragon Lady(DL) who was clearly in a better mood, stating I was in, and they really needed me to round out the demographic requirements because the other candidate like me declined, and...there was another layer of "giving" they'd added on (5-10 several stool samples...they hadn't decided yet) I would be required to personally deliver during the OP interims. I asked what the reimbursement was for that add-on and was told there was none, and I needed to sign more papers when I brought in sample #1...the next day. I asked her to email them to me along with the copies I was missing so I could research any additional questions in respect for her time. She refused.
So:
1- they don't let you know what you're really screening for before you get there
2- withheld disclosures and copies I had a right to
3- added on procedures and requirements not mentioned in the original contract with no additional reimbursement
4- wiat, there's more....
In addition, I'd researched the descriptives the Dr had provided, the final paperwork I did get, and fine-print policy about disclosure of private info and risks which went beyond the physical AE's into behavioral AE's (including weeks of psychosis requiring restraint and medical intervention with no long term information), adding more serious red flags and since the DL declined to send me the paperwork I was entitled to, I asked her logical questions about what Parexel planned to ensure the safety of my mental and physical health.
She switched from syrupy sweet to verbally abusive. That's when I declined the study. She escalated into rage, told me I'd cost them hundreds in screening costs and time, and now she'd have to find another woman in my demographic (someone stupid or desperate enough to agree to significant risk and her crap). She further stated I would be banned from all Parexel studies forever. I replied that Parexel was the last place I would entrust my health and safety to, and that the deciding factors were her unwillingness to be straightforward about disclosures and her Bipolar, rude, and condescending behavior.
Would you entrust your health, well being, and life to that kind of abuse?
This was my experience. I provided my withdrawl in writing and the reasons why. I copied the study Dr. I never got the missing pages, or any written acknowledgement of my acceptance or withdrawl. This means they have my signature on papers I do not have copies of and can still do whatever they wish with my private info, body products, and DNA.
Contacting the IRB resulted in no action other then a "thank you for your inquiry" response, and after consulting with an attorney, the cost of pursuing in individual case is not worth the gains, which would be copies of the paperwork. Showing them up would require a class action with enough participants....anyone game?
There's a reason this company had to create a "clean and shiny" promo video and post it in public forums. This is not a reputable organization. Their practices are dishonest, the diespect for the study participant is overt, treatment abusive, and I DO NOT recommend anyone trust this company with their health well being, or life.