Originally Posted By: Shotgunjones
....one must question the ethics. Who are the test subjects in the control group of a clinical study? Should seriously ill people be treated with the available drugs or be used as lab rats to develop more effective stuff we can sell to those able to afford it?....

Sorry about 'discussion' in this context.

Test subjects are the entire pool of folks who give their consent to be test subjects and all the risks that go along with it. The phrase I'd key in on is 'develop more effective', and maybe not references to class division. Point being, the 'stuff' has not been developed yet, and during that phase, there is no buy-in by the seriously ill who have the means. Available drugs didn't just appear, they arrived through some path.