diversity

Diversity in Clinical Trials and Research: 9 Reasons Why It Matters

The lack of diversity in Clinical Trial participants has some significant negative effects on both the African population and the Clinical Trial sponsors. Sponsors pass up the chance to carry out very inexpensive research with a broad patient group, frequently enrolling people who have never had any therapy for their ailment while the populace has a shortage of effective medications.

We are aware that some diseases are more common in particular ethnic groups, and that a person’s responsiveness to treatment can be substantially influenced by their genetic makeup. This means that results from Caucasians cannot necessarily be extrapolated to apply to Africans.

Perhaps you are already aware that studies known as Clinical Trials are used to examine the effectiveness and safety of your medications. But you might be shocked that there isn’t much diversity in terms of race or ethnicity among the participants in these Clinical studies. And that lack of variety may have an impact on how well we comprehend how effectively medications work in various racial populations throughout the world.

Benefits & Significance of diversity in Clinical Trials.

  • Diversity in Clinical trials is intended to mirror how well a drug works in an actual population where people of diverse ages, genders, and ethnicities may use it.
  • Pharmaceutical firms are creating more specialized and complex medications, yet it is hard to determine a medication’s safety and effectiveness across a range of groups without conducting Clinical studies with sufficient variety.
  • “Increasing diversity better reflects the range of populations that will use the therapy, or vaccine being studied. Medications can affect various racial and ethnic groups differently, sometimes to the extent that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends separate prescribing instructions​.” – (Echezona Ezeanolue, MD, MPH, FAAP, FIDSA​Vice-President, HealthySunrise Foundation USA)
  • All of “Us” is part of a new era in which researchers, health care providers, technology experts, community partners, and the public work together to develop individualized health care.​
  • “Data from All of “Us” could someday help researchers: ​
    1. Identify what makes people more likely to develop a disease​
    2. Find out how environment, lifestyle, and genes can impact health​
    3. Build better tools for detecting a health condition and encouraging healthy habits”- (Echezona Ezeanolue, MD, MPH, FAAP, FIDSA​ Vice-President, HealthySunrise Foundation USA)
  • When some groups are underrepresented in Clinical Trials, there is a risk of collecting insufficient data to assess effectiveness and safety in those populations. *
  • Racial and or ethnic background, in combination with other interdependent factors including social determinants of health and genetics, can contribute to differences in drug exposure or response. *
  • Clinical Trials contribute to scientific knowledge for treatment options that may potentially benefit wide categories of patients, Physicians, Equitable access to clinical trials is integral to achieving health equity. *
  • Diversity in Clinical Trials improves trust and acceptance and spreads risk evenly. *                 

                                                                           * (Kwame Jabari: Msc CRM, BMI)

Xcene Research aims to be a catalyst for patient accelerated access to clinical trials in Sub-Saharan Africa region and has championed this cause through the Impact Africa summit- a unique platform for relevant stakeholders to collaboratively address key issues and trends surrounding pharmaceutical research & development and clinical trials in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 3rd edition was held on the 1st-3rd of December 2022 and addressed the subject of Clinical Trials: Diversity with Inclusion of Africa- Achieving clinical research equity, a key step towards healthcare innovation in Africa.

Keep up to date on the 4th edition to hold on 7-9 December 2023.

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1 thought on “Diversity in Clinical Trials and Research: 9 Reasons Why It Matters”

  1. This is a good write-up. Was part of the Impact Africa Summit discuss on diversity and inclusivity which is very important for the Sub-Saharan region.
    I’ll surely be part of IAS for 2023.

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