Asshole Filter in Drug Trials

Because many Phase I clinics don’t keep websites updated, serious volunteers must call to enroll—selecting for more aggressive, incentive‑driven participants. Combined with cash‑only motivations and mutual distrust, this recruitment channel likely overrepresents 'professional subjects' who may game exclusion criteria. The result is early safety/tolerability data produced by a non‑representative pool. — If Phase I data are systematically shaped by recruitment mechanics, policymakers and media should treat early safety signals with selection bias in mind and consider reforming trial recruitment norms.