The past year has shined a bright light on health disparities in the United States—and the importance of clinical trial diversity to overcoming them. Here’s why and how BIO is prioritizing this issue—and details on BIO's Clinical Trial Diversity Summit.
“Communities of color have historically faced entrenched barriers to trial participation,” BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath and Sherlock Biosciences’ President and CEO Rahul Dhanda write this week in RealClearHealth. African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but 5% of trial enrollment, while Latinos make up 18% of the population and 1% of trial participants.
But ensuring that trials are representative of America’s population “leads to a better understanding of how a therapy will work, from effectiveness to side-effects and more,” they continue—and lacking access to trials can “have a direct impact on an individual’s health.”
They outline ways we can improve clinical trial diversity—such as making participation “logistically easier” by providing transportation or gathering results through online reporting or wearable technology, expanding trial sites, and diversifying the biotech workforce.
We’ll discuss all of these possible solutions and more during the first-ever BIO Clinical Trial Diversity Summit, taking place June 24-25, 2021.
The live and free virtual summit will bring together stakeholders from across the clinical development spectrum—with speakers including industry leaders, academics, and health equity experts.
This event is free to attend—but you must register in advance.
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