Diversity has become an important issue over the past few years, and that includes in the healthcare field.
Gender, race, and ethnicity can affect how patients’ bodies respond to treatments. For instance, a 2015 FDA study found that 20% of drugs approved in the past 6 years had different effects on different types of patients.
Now, the FDA and a number of other medical organizations are pushing for more diverse medical trials. While this seems like a logical solution, some experts are skeptical; the measures that have been proposed so far are basically guidelines and suggestions, not actual laws or monitoring. Without firm requirements in place, they argue, will companies go out of their way to make diversity a part of their clinical trials?
Read on to learn more about this important issue, including statistics and facts about the variable effects of medication, and what has been done and can be done to encourage change in clinical trial participant recruiting.
Contact Our Writer – Alysa Salzberg