COVID-19 has laid bare the inequities faced by Black and Brown communities in our health care system—and the drug development process for a whole host of diseases often leaves these same populations behind. On today’s episode of the I AM BIO Podcast, BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath explores what’s being done to address the lack of diversity in clinical trials—and how companies can help.
“People often ask me if underserved communities are unable, unaware, or uninterested in participating in clinical trials," says Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, a Black epidemiologist and infectious disease medical doctor who hosts "Dr. Lisa on the Street," a video series and podcast to promote community health literacy.
“But I think the truth is we have not made clinical trials accessible to these populations,” she continues.
Dr. Fitzpatrick participated in the Moderna trial—her first trial ever—“because people on the street or in the community were telling me they didn’t trust the vaccines or process. And one of the ways they could be convinced is if they saw Black people participating in the process.”
“One barrier to participation that we all know well is a lack of trust because of past historical abuses,” says RADM Richardae Araojo, Associate Commissioner for Minority Health and Director of FDA’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE).
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But there are many others—ranging from language and literacy to lack of transportation to the site. “Oftentimes, there's simply a perception that minorities do not want to participate and they aren't asked,” she adds.
What can companies do?
“We can communicate with our academic medical centers—those that have historically been our close collaborators in the research setting—and let them know that inclusive research is important to us,” says Gerren Wilson, Head of Inclusion and Partnering at Genentech.
This means recruiting a group of participants “that truly reflects the demographics of the disease,” continues Wilson, as well as evaluating “clinical trial protocol for biases” and removing financial barriers to participation.
Listen to the whole thing at www.bio.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, and Spotify.
On June 24-25, BIO will host a virtual Clinical Trial Diversity Summit—stay tuned for details.
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