Millions of people around the world seek cash rewards by becoming guinea pigs (Image: Brand New Images)

FIFTY million people around the world are guinea pigs in clinical trials testing experimental drugs right now.

Apart from potentially risking their lives, participants must pass a gruelling battery of tests just to be allowed into some trials. Acceptance only means more tests, side effects and considerable disruption to their daily lives. So what’s in it for them?

As journalist Alex O’Meara explains in Chasing Medical Miracles, some take part out of genuine altruism, while some are looking for cures for their …