How to increase retention of underrepresented groups in clinical trials

An Expert View from Kristen Bushka, vice president client strategy global manager, Within3.

The failure to achieve meaningful diversity in clinical trials has been a longstanding issue. Often, trial sponsors take a one-size-fits-all approach to recruitment and enrollment – a policy that may result in therapies that only work for a subset of patients. This lack of diversity and inclusion is a serious issue with serious repercussions on the success rate of clinical trials.

Research shows that  77.9% of clinical trial participants are white, and that men are frequently over-represented in comparison to women. This skewed representation can lead to treatments that are ineffective for minority groups, women, children, and the elderly – despite long and expensive development timelines.