Walk into any pharmacy in the United States and you are instantly surrounded by thousands of medications. They vary in size, color, strength and price. Some are readily available over the counter, while pharmacists keep others under lock and key. Despite the vast assortment available, they all have one process in common. Clinical trials. Before we can take them for our headaches, high blood pressure, and low blood sugar, they all go through a rigorous clinical testing process. However, these trials have often resulted in the exploitation of vulnerable populations around the world. As with all trials involving human participants, the ethical implications of clinical trials are now under greater scrutiny. Carl Elliot explores the role of U.S. clinical trial participants in "Guinea-Pigging: Healthy Human Subjects for Drug Safety Trials Sought." But is it a life? His article highlights a key reason why trials began moving overseas. Several problems have arisen due to the globalization of clinical trials, and the medical community has begun to take note. In “Ethical and Scientific Implications of the Globalization of Clinical Research,” an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Seth W. Glickman and his associates examine the growing trend of globalization and its consequences. Drs. Harold Shapiro and Eric M. Meslin provide the same level of scrutiny, but with more emphasis on trial development, in “Ethical Issues in the Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials in Developing Countries.” The Boston Globe's Christopher Rowland lays out the motivation for globalization in "Clinical Trials Seen in Overseas Tuft Study Cite Lack of U.S. Subjects." Finally Sandhya Srinivasan and...... middle of paper ......companies in developing countries, no testing of diseases such as tuberculosis which disproportionately affect populations in these countries. In contrast, we found a variety of trials in developing countries for conditions such as allergic rhinitis and overactive bladder. (“Ethical and Scientific Implications of the Globalization of Clinical Research” 819) This is a finding about the location of the pharmaceutical companies funding the trials. Typically, these companies are based in wealthy Western countries and, therefore, test drugs for conditions and diseases that affect the Western world. Participants are once again exploited as they receive little or no benefit from their participation in the trial. Although it may seem like the problems associated with clinical trials are too big to solve, with a few reforms, everyone can benefit from trials..