Closing The Diversity Gap In Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are at the heart of the process for bringing new medicines to patients. While modern researchers can do more with molecules in the laboratory than ever before, and preclinical analysis of a compound can provide important evidence about its potential value in treating disease, it’s impossible to determine the safety and effectiveness of a new medicine until it’s tested in human beings.
Critical to the conduct of any clinical trial is identifying the right group of people to include in the study. Unfortunately, most of the clinical trials conducted in this country suffer from a pronounced lack of diversity. Minority populations are consistently underrepresented. And, too often, there is a lack of appreciation of cultural and genetic factors particular to Asian, African-American, Hispanic, and other ethnic communities. This diversity gap can lead to sub-optimal development of new medicines and can further exacerbate minority health disparities. Read More