Ko Chin on Minority Health

When we think about improving minority health, we rarely think of clinical trials and research. But we should. To move closer to health equity, we must increase the participation of diverse communities in clinical trials. Clinical trials are essential in determining whether a drug is ready for mass consumption, as well as revealing important information for doctors and patients about prevention, diagnostic and treatment methods. They can also help shed light on whether there are unique bio-markers across the different groups the product is being provided to. The challenge is that for far too long, racial and ethnic minorities have been underrepresented in clinical trials. Researchers at the University of California, Davis found that “less than 5 percent of trial participants are non-white, and less than 2 percent of clinical cancer research studies focus on non-white ethnic or racial groups.” Those low participation numbers are a serious cause for concern when the leading cause of death for Asian Americans is cancer. Lacking a diverse trial group means lacking a clear understanding on how a drug will affect a diverse population. So, why are minority groups underrepresented? For Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AAs and NHPIs), there are a number of factors at play. One factor is the sheer diversity of AAs and NHPIs who come from more than 50 countries and speak more than 100 languages. The dearth of translated materials, as well as a shortage of eth...
Source: PHRMA - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news