Life Plan

Chapter 7, Professional Drug Trial Personnel

Clinical trials are not without unexpected deaths. Incurable deaths are common, but these are too heavy for Liu Chichi, who is just starting out in the field. Even a simple survival follow-up can make her feel depressed.

To proceed step by step, the first project that Shen Shuyi fully involved her in was a pilot phase.

Researchers worked together to select suitable participants from the recruited volunteers. According to the trial protocol, those with the four major infectious diseases in the test results were first excluded, and then those with chronic diseases were excluded.

The initial list needs to be checked against the center's database to identify professional trial participants who frequently participate in drug trials within a short period of time.

The interval between two drug trials must be more than three months. However, subjects who participate in clinical trials will receive a financial compensation. Occasionally, some people, thinking they are physically strong and have no obvious side effects, will conceal their drug trial history and undergo multiple drug trials in a short period of time.

Once the system is connected to the network, it can screen the list of drug trials on a large scale and remove names that have appeared within the last three months, but it is hard to guarantee that no one will take the risk.

The first phase of the trial was open to all applicants. Since the start of the recruitment, the middle-aged man named Li Yong has come to see Shen Shuyi three times.

"Is Miss Shen here?"

Liu Chichi looked at Shen Shuyi, who had hidden under the desk with lightning speed, and at the various CRC companies that suddenly rushed out of the front door in the office, and waved apologetically to Li Yong: "Sorry, she's away on a business trip again."

"Not back yet?"

"no."

This was the third time Liu Chichi had used this excuse, and she couldn't help but feel guilty.

As long as Li Yong didn't leave, Liu Chichi didn't dare to look down at Shen Shuyi.

However, the latter, having huddled under the desk for so long, felt dizzy and lightheaded. Calculating the time, he got up from the floor, his vision blurring as he stood, muttering, "Has he left?"

The moment the golden light disappeared, Li Yong had already stepped over the layers of stacked A4 paper pagodas and stood in front of Shen Shuyi.

A dark-skinned middle-aged man, wearing a bright yellow delivery uniform, clutched the hem of his uniform with both hands, his face drooping, revealing an expression that could be described as "grieved." He just looked at Shen Shuyi and said, "It's been five months already, why won't you let me participate in the trial?"

"Mr. Li, I've explained this many times. Your adverse reaction last time was severe, and you need to wait six months before you can undergo the trial again."

"I'm healthy, I know that myself."

"We are doing this for your health; you've been undergoing drug trials very frequently."

"I can't explain it to you. Where is the doctor? I'll talk to him."

Shen Shuyi rubbed her forehead in embarrassment, repeatedly giving Liu Chichi meaningful glances.

Liu Chichi pretended to randomly click on a few files on the computer, then closed it, turned around and lied with her eyes wide open: "Our recruitment is already over."

"Oh, what a coincidence." Shen Shuyi shrugged at Li Yong. "Next month, let's see next month."

Li Yong subconsciously turned his head to look at the computer screen, but Shen Shuyi quickly reached out and slammed the screen shut, her expression serious: "These are confidential documents!"

After Li Yong left, the CRCs gradually returned to their workstations. Liu Chichi watched as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling curious but hesitant to speak for a while before silently lowering her head.

Shen Shuyi turned her head to look at her, her messy bun swaying from being bumped under the table. As she combed her hair, she asked, "What do you want to ask?"

"Is he also a professional drug trial participant?"

"Yes, but it's different. He's not in it for the money."

Li Yong came from another province to seek medical treatment for his son. He was not highly educated and couldn't even read the medical records. His family was struggling financially, and Li Yong was prepared for long-term treatment, humbly borrowing money from everyone he could.

Desperate to find a high-paying job, he was swindled out of 800 yuan by a conman posing as an agent. With so many penniless people in the hospital, his experience barely made a ripple. The attending physician told him to prepare some family documents to see if he could secure some aid and try some expensive imported medication. Overwhelmed with emotion, Li Yong knelt before the doctor in public and thanked him profusely.

But before he could even start raising money, his son succumbed to septic shock caused by sepsis. During the resuscitation efforts, a relative who came to help remarked, "That child was so understanding; he couldn't bear to see you suffer, and he passed away so early."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yong, who was usually honest and unassuming, suddenly rushed up and hit his relative. His eyes were bloodshot, and he shouted, "You're the one who's sensible! You were sensible all along, your whole family was sensible, and my child could definitely be saved!"

That was the most emotional he had ever been when he was admitted to the hospital.

Just six months after his son's death, a new combination therapy regimen of anti-infective drugs entered the clinical trial stage. It could effectively control the disease before acute complications appeared, increasing the patient's chances of survival. Li Yong, who remained steadfastly focused on sepsis, saw the recruitment information and entered the phase I clinical trial.

Two years ago, the clinical trial entered phase III, and the new treatment plan began to be used by patients. Good news gradually emerged in the patient support group, but Li Yong's heart grew colder and colder.

He repeatedly and stubbornly made appointments, asking the doctor if his son would be fine if he took this medication. The doctor explained many times that this treatment plan was mainly used in the stage before complications appeared.

Despite being illiterate, Li Yong could already understand the obscure medical terminology. One child's early symptoms were exactly the same as his son's. He accompanied the other child's parents from out of town to the hospital for the trial, closely monitoring the child's condition throughout the process.

On the day his child was discharged from the hospital after recovering, he stood at the door and burst into tears, oblivious to everyone around him.

He stubbornly believed that if his son could have used this drug, he would have lived to this day. He threw himself into clinical trials, becoming a professional drug trial participant.

He goes to bed early and gets up early, exercises regularly, and always keeps himself in good health to pass the clinical trial participant selection. Even the recruiters said he was too proactive, risking his life for money.

"Actually, he doesn't even want money." Shen Shuyi's voice trailed off. "He knows every department in this hospital very well, and he's joined many patient support groups. He not only helps people with registration for free, but he also pays the prepayment for anyone in need and never asks for it back. Drug trials are his emotional support; he signs up for every recruitment notice. Remember the Declaration of Helsinki?"

"I haven't finished memorizing it yet."

"Memorize it? Are you still in school? Just remember the main points. Of course, that's not the key point. You must remember the emphasis on the protection of research subjects in the Declaration."

"Then I'll just memorize it." In fact, Liu Chichi was thinking of copying it over again, as she still maintained the tradition of taking notes during her student days.

"In short, you have to care more about the health of the subjects than they do."

Liu Chichi remembered Li Yong's face. His dark skin couldn't hide the redness beneath his skin, which was caused by anxiety and excessive heartbeat. She could even see the changes in his neck as he breathed.

Liu Chichi had seen that expression on her mother's face before. When her mother heard that her father's new wife was a divorced woman with children, her face flushed red. It wasn't anger or sadness. Much later, after her life was intertwined with that of her mother, she finally understood that emotion: it was a irrational obsession.

"What he needs now is not emotional support, but a psychologist or psychiatrist."

"And then?" Shen Shuyi looked at her with amusement.

Liu Chichi didn't understand what was so funny, and frowned: "He has psychological problems. The pain of losing his son has had a huge impact on him. If he can't let go..." "And then what?"

Shen Shuyi suddenly interrupted her rambling, looking at her like she was a naive child. "Li Yong's parents favored their younger son. He started working at fifteen, and his parents only cared about money, not him. In his forties, he supported his younger brother's family, who now had both a son and a daughter. Luckily, he met his wife, who didn't mind that he was penniless and even felt sorry for him because he couldn't even afford clothes in winter. He brought her back to his hometown, had a fight, and was kicked out of his parents' house, which is how he finally started his own family. He finally had a son late in life, but his wife died in childbirth, and his son also passed away from illness. He was a simple and stubborn person with no self-awareness. He spent the first half of his life for his parents and the second half for his children. After letting go of everything, what did he have left?"

What's left?

Liu Chichi had considered escaping her mother's control several times, but at this moment she suddenly froze. She had never thought that if she didn't do what her mother demanded, what else could she do?

"Not all illnesses require treatment. You need to understand a person and put yourself in their shoes before you can truly care for them."