WCCT Global

What is WCCT?

WCCT Global, which has been purchased by Altasciences and rebranded, is one of a number of companies that recruit individuals to take part in medical research studies.

How it works

Each study offered by WCCT Global/Atasciences has different requirements and payment formulas. In some cases, you have to be suffering with a condition ranging from diabetes to psoriasis, to qualify for a trial.

In other instances, they’re specifically looking for healthy adults — or children — within a set age group.

However, in general, the way it works is you register at a facility in your area. The site has locations in Kansas, Missouri, Washington State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California and Montreal.

You can then search for studies that you can qualify for, or you can wait for them to contact you. Either way, to join a study, you’ll need to go in and submit to a physical exam.

If you’re selected, they’ll give you a raft of paperwork that explains the study, the risks, requirements and when and how much you’d receive in payment.

WCCT/Altasciences review

Altasciences — which purchased WCCT Global — is a contract research company that helps biomedical firms test drugs and treatments often by enlisting individuals to participate in clinical studies.

If you’re looking for a way to earn a lot of money, without doing a lot of work, clinical studies can deliver. The catch is that what you will need to do is submit to a long series of physical exams, like you’d get at your doctor’s office.These include blood and urine tests; blood pressure and, sometimes, heart monitors. And, the most lucrative tests require you to stay overnight — sometimes for as long as a month — in a medical facility.

Altasciences will provide food, snacks, wifi, and, usually, activities like ping pong and movies while you’re there. But you’re typically stuck there for the duration. You can’t leave for lunch or to see your friends.

But, as long as you remain at the facility, you can do most anything — read, watch t.v., do homework or remote office work. You’re on your own most of the day. While studies differ, most participants say they have a once or twice daily check in for blood pressure monitoring and, potentially, urine or blood tests. Otherwise, they’re just hanging out, waiting for meals to be delivered.

Meals are healthy, but cafeteria variety. This is not fine dining. Your room and bed is likely to be hospital/dorm style. So, again, this is a stay in a medical facility, not a hotel. But, they pay really well for the inconvenience.

Pay varies

How well, you ask? The payments vary based on the study and the amount of time and effort involved. One recent study on Coronavirus vaccines, for instance, promised a $5,100 payment for going to 1 screening visit, 11 outpatient visits, plus participating in 4 follow-up phone calls. All together, this is likely to require less than two weeks of work time — including the time it took to get to WCCT Global’s South Los Angeles offices. That works out to an hourly pay of nearly $65 per hour.

Another study, which sought healthy 18-55 year-olds, promised payment of $7,600. The catch? It required a near two-week stay in the company’s health facility.

And a study for recreational drug users pays more than $13,000. But, it also requires two facility stays — the second of which lasts the better part of a month.

Health vs wealth

However, the big risk here is with your health. When companies test drugs they’re looking for side effects and adverse reactions. So, it’s possible that the drug they’re testing could make you sick. The bright side is that they’re having you stay in a medical facility so that you can get treated immediately, if it does.

Then too, by the time drugs get to human trials, they have already tested the medication on animals. So, most of the side effects have been found. Now they’re testing dosages and tolerances in humans.

Still, you’re taking a chance that your test might result in pain and/or illness. While deaths are rare, a few have happened during clinical trials. So, there’s a lot at stake.

When you’re sick

If you are involved in drug trials for a disease that you have, this may be a risk you’re willing to take to find a cure. If you are not personally invested in the cure, however, you should carefully weigh the risk of each study before agreeing to take part.

This site’s average Husl$core reflects the above-average pay, weighed against the above-average risk.

Recommendations

Make sure you read the paperwork before you participate in a clinical trial. It should give you a good understanding of the drug you’re testing and what the potential side effects might be. If you want to sign up with Altasciences, you can find available studies here.

Other clinical research firms worth considering include Fortrea, Parexel, Rare Patient Voice or through UserLinker.

Recommended reading

If you’re interested in clinical trials, here are a few pieces worth reading to understand the risks and rewards:

National Institute of Health on clinical trial benefits and safety

Are clinical trials worth the risk?–Science37.com

Deciding whether to be part of a clinical trial — Cancer.org

Medical student talks about her own experience volunteering for clinical trials

Updated 8/19/2024