Clinical Trial Payments And Ethics: Your Top Questions Answered

By Sam Whitaker, Founder and CEO of Mural Health, and Kelly Fitzgerald, IRB Executive Chair and Vice President, IBC Affairs, WCG

In response to widespread uncertainty around ethical clinical trial payments, this article explores foundational questions surrounding participant compensation. Sam Whitaker and Kelly FitzGerald address key ethical principles, including the importance of transparency, fairness, and avoiding undue influence. The authors distinguish between reimbursements (to make participants financially whole) and stipends (compensation for time and burden), emphasizing that ethical concerns arise primarily when payment could influence a participant’s decision to enroll.

Practical guidance is offered on structuring compensation, accounting for participant effort, local cost of living, and managing site-level administrative burdens. The piece underscores that while compensation practices vary, the guiding principle should always be respect for participants and the elimination of financial barriers to research participation.