Life Plan

Chapter 18, The Helsinki Declaration

The following content is consistent with what Chen Bin's parents released.

According to CCTV footage from the bar where the gathering took place and comments from classmates, Chen Bin slumped onto the table after drinking two homemade cocktails. Two classmates tried to talk to him, but he waved them off without looking up. His friends assumed he was just drunk and didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until he was bumped into by the crowd and fell to the ground that people noticed a small pool of blood from his nose. He was rushed to the hospital.

Altitude sickness can cause increased intracranial pressure. Mild cases of increased intracranial pressure usually improve on their own after leaving the high-altitude environment and resting. However, alcohol can cause cerebral vasodilation, increasing the volume of the cranial cavity and thus increasing intracranial pressure.

Severe intracranial pressure caused brain herniation, which, without timely treatment, ultimately led to Chen Bin's death.

It only took Liu five minutes to read the document. She closed the folder slowly. "Is this the committee's investigation results?"

"No, Hao Jia gave this to me. She hasn't seen the experimental protocol, but she firmly believes that Chen Bin's death has nothing to do with you. Of course, the police have more detailed investigation results, and a statement will be released after all the information is verified."

"Isn't this over yet?"

"Chen Bin is just the beginning; people have already started affecting the lives of the participants." Shen Shuyi randomly typed "clinical trial" into a film and television media app, and eight out of ten articles were accompanied by pictures of Yang An's terrified face. "The cyber police are working hard to delete these photos, but they are spreading too fast."

"But we can't make Hao Jia's identity public."

"That's why I contacted you; she was very insistent."

When Liu Chichi saw Hao Jia backstage, she wasn't wearing a sun-protective shirt; her blue and white hospital gown hung loosely on her body, making her look as thin as a sheet of paper. Although the new treatment was effective, the accompanying side effects caused her to lose her appetite and become listless.

Hao Jia held the prepared speech in her hand and smiled at Liu Chichi: "I will try my best to finish reading it."

"Don't go."

"Chichi, I'm doing this not only for you, but being a test subject is also painful for me, and I don't want others to misunderstand us like this."

The person who could be made public wasn't Hao Jia, but someone completely unrelated to her. If she hadn't spoken up, no one would have known she was a test subject. Besides, she herself was a patient, and it's understandable for a patient to seek medication.

But online trending topics are different; they don't distinguish between right and wrong, they only look at the traffic.

Protecting the research subjects should be the responsibility of professionals, not just another research subject. Liu Chichi held Hao Jia's hand: "Have you heard of the Declaration of Helsinki?"

Hao Jia shook her head in confusion.

Liu Chichi recalled Li Yong, who had been turned away by everyone. She read the declaration very carefully and even memorized the passage: "The responsibility for protecting research subjects must always fall on the shoulders of doctors and other medical professionals, and never on the research subjects themselves, even if they have given their consent."

Hao Jia, this time, no matter who grabs me or scolds me, I won't hide away. Liu Chichi's hand landed on the manuscript: "Hao Jia, I also hope you're okay. This time I'll protect us, believe me, okay?"

Outside the door, flashbulbs were going off like crazy. Liu Chichi repeatedly browsed the most popular posts, trying to ignore the insults directed at her, and guessing what problems she would face later.

Shen Shuyi turned around and took out three pages of manuscript from her bag: "Look at these, we might get asked about them."

The manuscript was written by Shen Shuyi, and it contained the most popular online comments and responses. Knowing the exam scope before entering the exam room would be a greater advantage than taking the exam blindly. For Liu Chichi, only by treating this matter as an exam could she remain calm.

The waiting time had been quite long when Liu Chichi suddenly realized, "Isn't Hao Jia the main character today?"

"Of course not, the official explanation will naturally come from the committee."

"What about Hao Jia?"

"She insisted on making it public. Rather than worrying that she'll secretly release it privately, it's better to put her in the open at a certain time, which will also keep things under control." Shen Shuyi shrugged. "This segment is called 'Subject Monologue.' I think given your relationship, you probably don't want her to be seen by the public. Of course, I've already informed her, and I'll try to replace Hao Jia with someone from the CRC team."

It's just that they didn't report which CRC it was.

"Why are you helping me?"

"It's rare to find a colleague as obedient and capable as you."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Me?" Shen Shuyi held her high bun even more proudly and gently nudged her shoulder: "I won't misjudge you. Protect the test subjects and let me benefit from it."

At this moment, it felt as if a heavy responsibility was resting on her shoulders. From a young age, she was taught not to compete or fight, to be obedient and sensible, and also to never fall behind and to surpass others. Therefore, she both craved honor and feared risk.

In school, you can get first place just by studying hard. But in society, hard work alone will only make you the one with the most jobs. She longs for people to see her efforts, but she doesn't dare to step forward and only hopes that others will notice her.

She could write perfect exam papers and process thousands of prescriptions, but she never seemed to have done anything that was truly her own.

She walked to the front of the stage, the beams of light from above making it hard for her to lift her head. She looked directly at the cameras and said, "I am Liu Chichi."

"Where are the participants? Isn't this supposed to be a monologue by the participants?"

"There will be no participants." She set aside the prepared manuscripts and documents. "Protecting the privacy of participants is one of the most important aspects of clinical trials, which is why I'm here."

"Did you use money to induce the behavior of the participants? Can you explain Chen Bin's death?"

"No one induces participation in clinical trials; the monetary compensation is a form of restitution for the participants. As for Chen Bin's death, I'm sorry, the professional investigation results will be released by the relevant departments."

The meeting included not only official journalists and media representatives, but also some influential online figures who had been heavily involved in the incident, representing the public. Soon, someone stood up and asked her, "Don't you feel any remorse watching healthy people being used as guinea pigs in drug trials?"

Liu Chichi gripped the edge of the podium tightly. Those rumors that had already been debunked were not important, but this sentence represented the sum of most of the prejudices against clinical trials.

But she was a good student, often able to predict the questions correctly, and was also good at solving problems.

She politely asked the questioner, "Do you oppose clinical trials?"

"Of course, how is this any different from murder!"

"Your voice sounds a bit off. Do you have a cold?"

"What's wrong?"

"Most medications available today can improve the symptoms of a cold, such as a stuffy nose, cough, runny nose, and headache, but no medication can cure a cold."

"A cold is just a minor illness."

"Yes, even with seasonal flu outbreaks, most people recover on their own within about a week. However, complications from the flu, such as viral pneumonia, can lead to multiple organ failure and are unresponsive to antibiotic treatment. In addition, it can cause respiratory failure, meningitis, and other problems."

"Then let's get it treated."

"In fact, current medical methods cannot eliminate the influenza virus."

"Aren't there pharmaceutical companies developing it?" He pointed to the sponsoring company on the platform. "He just said that pharmaceutical companies have been working hard to benefit humanity."

"Yes, we might be lucky and a specific drug for the flu virus might be developed in the future. Should we take it?"

"Of course we should eat it."

"Without clinical trials, we would have no way of knowing anything about the actual efficacy, side effects, drug resistance, and concentration changes after the drug enters the body. Doctors could only infer the possible dosing frequency and contraindications based on data obtained from mice."

The hall fell silent as Liu Chichi gradually regained control, resting her hand loosely on the podium. "Without the contributions of the test subjects, we would all be guinea pigs."

Shen Shuyi's hastily prepared PPT was projected on the wall—In February 2023, the National Health Commission and other four departments jointly issued the "Measures for Ethical Review of Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans," which for the first time replaced "subject" with "research participant."

"The fundamental purpose of clinical trials is to combat disease, improve health, and benefit humanity. Volunteers bear all the risks that may arise when a drug is first introduced into the human body, and they deserve respect for whatever reason they choose to participate in clinical trials."

Liu Chichi stared at the cameras she had once feared and avoided, wanting to see through those dark eyes to everyone. "And we will strictly abide by the Declaration of Helsinki—we must take all precautions to protect the privacy of research subjects and keep their personal information confidential."

Liu bowed slowly and left the stage.

Contrary to expectations, no one applauded for her. Hao Jia's medical record manuscript and Chen Bin's documents lay quietly on the podium, never being opened.

Shen Shuyi excitedly grabbed her hand from outside, "Chichi, you really put us on a big show."

Clinical coordinator—a job that leaves almost no trace in society. People will remember the drug development company, the research archives will remember the researchers, and the only thing that bears their names is a confidentiality agreement that will never be made public.

Clinical coordinators are like the telephone lines on an old landline—they serve as communication points, but unless the signal is bad, nobody cares how good the lines are anymore. They do a lot of mundane work involving non-clinical judgment, and they've met everyone in the clinical trials, but once the drug is on the market, nobody knows them.

Until now, Liu Chichi has been reported. They have appeared in the public eye from an extremely negative perspective—human traffickers.

The matter is not over yet; her career is still teetering on the brink, and Shen Shuyi was also criticized for half an hour.

When the bun appeared, it was still held high. At this moment, Liu Chichi suddenly realized that this mentor, who was only two years older than her, was not only good at handling complicated interpersonal relationships, but was also strangely stubborn.

While Liu Chichi was holding her breath in worry, she still held her head high and said, "The CRC is definitely not wrong in this matter."

Liu waited patiently for the final ultimatum.

The company is also waiting to see how public opinion will develop.

The Helsinki Declaration has become a new trending search term.

The subjects have taken on the safety risks for all potential users of the drug. Even though opinions on Liu Chichi remain divided, some people have already spontaneously resisted the publication of the subjects' photos.

Yang An's exaggerated expression quickly disappeared from online dissemination. The speed at which the internet fermented and burst was as fast as a soap bubble, and some of the public opinion battleground even shifted to the account of the person who filmed it.

The current public opinion is positive. The warning has been issued regarding Chen Bin's investigation results, and Liu Chichi's insistence on protecting the privacy of the subjects despite being criticized for a week has received positive comments.