I’ve always been an advocate for clinical trials when it comes to making big money and helping advance medicine, but what’s it like in Japan?
In Australia where I’m from, clinical trials were a way for me to earn huge money while working remotely as a freelance writer. As a young healthy man, there were never any serious risks for me to test out new medicines, particularly after they’ve already passed animal testing.
Given my early struggles in Japan as a foreigner looking for work, I came across a job post on YOLO Japan (the number one job board for foreigners) that was looking for volunteers for clinical trial participation in Sumida Hospital, Tokyo. I applied online and was approved for an initial paid screening. Here’s how it all went down:
My Experience with Sumida Hospital
Just off the Sumida River in Asakusa, Tokyo, is the big Sumida Hospital where clinical trials for Japanese people and foreigners are frequently held.
I’ll preface right off the bat, I did not pass the screening appointment and was denied participation in the trial, and that’s exactly why I wanted to write this article.
In truth, I attempted several times to participate in clinical trials with Sumida Hospital, but failed the screening examinations every time.
I want to discuss exactly what went wrong, my thoughts about clinical trials in Japan, and how they compare to my experiences Australia’s.
What went wrong?
Well, to cut to the chase, my LDL cholesterol was too high to pass the examinations, at least according to their measuring systems.
Despite doing all I can to eat nothing but salads and drink nothing but water and green tea, I was not able to get my cholesterol down to the appropriate levels.
In fact, after I failed the first screening, I was invited to attend a re-check scheduled for the following week with the advice to get my LDL cholesterol down as much as possible before then.
A week of eating raw salads later, I knew it likely wasn’t enough to make a big difference, but surely things wouldn’t get worse, right?
Wrong. My LDL cholesterol had gone even higher than my previous test. Talk about a waste of calories on rabbit food! Anyhow, I at least received another 5,000 yen compensation for attending the extra appointment, but the result definitely had me bummed out.
Final Thoughts?
All-in-all, I have mixed feelings about clinical trials in Japan. On the one hand, I feel Japan’s health standards are simply that much better than most countries, and perhaps my health isn’t as good as I thought it was. On the other hand, I find it hard to believe that my LDL cholesterol is way above the limit to participate, especially considering my diet and lifestyle in Japan have been significantly healthier than back in the Aussie days.
While I likely won’t attempt another clinical trial in Japan (especially now that I have a stable job and income), I do recommend anyone who’s curious to give it a go! At the very least, you can walk away with 5,000 yen and a free health check-up!
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