Cash is a little tight for Oliver Wilson, a law school student at the University of British Columbia. He wanted to buy a new pair of skis. But the $689 price tag was a little daunting.

Then on a routine bus ride to class, he remembers an ad that read:

"Paid participants needed. Volunteers are financially compensated."

He followed through and was told to show up at an office that looks like it's part of Vancouver General Hospital. It's a private business that rents space.

The company is testing experimental new drugs. For the next few days, Wilson will be monitored. And he'll be paid — $600 to spend the weekend drinking apple juice mixed with a concoction of chemicals.

“It was my parents who were joking about me coming back with a tail or something."

100,000 human guinea pigs

This year, it’s estimated well over 100,000 Canadians will volunteer to be human guinea pigs. Drug trials are rolling out in bigger and bigger numbers. Three years ago, there were 600 new drug trial applications. By last year, that number had doubled.

Health Canada has changed some regulations so studies can get approved faster than ever. That's good news for private companies, which pay for more than 80 per cent of all drug trials.

Just a couple of decades ago, most drug trials were publicly funded. Now, companies that conduct drug studies are popping up. They're paid by pharma giants, rushing to get a product to market.

“Every day you wait is tens of thousands of dollars for a company that is trying to produce a new drug,” said Dr. Jonathan Willmer. He runs the company conducting the study Oliver Wilson took part in.

It’s not just industry interested in boosting business. Marketplace submitted an Access to Information Request to Health Canada and got back internal documents regarding presentations made at California conferences with industry. Health Canada's pitch?

"Think Clinical Trials. Think Innovation. Think Canada."

We showed the Health Canada presentation to Charles Weijer. He teaches ethics at Dalhousie University.

'A race to the bottom' Charles Weijer, ethics professor, Dalhousie University

"Countries now essentially are forced to compete for research dollars from drug companies. That means the countries in which research happens quickly and easily is where the dollars flow. That leads countries into a race to the bottom. This talk says to me that Health Canada seems to be interested in joining that race."

The race isn't only about money. For people like Rebecca Congdon, it's also about hope. She has ovarian cancer.

Drug trials are not designed to help the people in them. They're designed to develop a new product. People who are sick can't be paid to take part in a trial.

Still, Congdon's a believer.

Every seven days, a nurse draws Congdon’s blood through a tube permanently mounted to her abdomen. This is her fifth drug trial.

"I call myself the Queen of Clinical Trials. I’m waiting for the tiara."

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