I think this is so sad and a symptom of a world where nobody wants to accept responsibility anymore. Even the responsibility to say "no".
We see this "no no's" in VC investing, job hunting, and now your anecdote, medical trials.
People don't want to be responsible for children. The elderly. Owning a home. Maintaining society. Or to each other. Saddening really.
People are adverse to just trying often times. The responsibility of potentially failing is something they don't want...
When nobody is responsible for anything, society crumbles.