Enhancing clinical trial diversity is a challenge, but with a multi-faceted, community-centered approach, we can help underrepresented patients be more involved in the research and development of potential life-saving medical treatments.
ICYMI: PhRMA CMO Dr. Michael Ybarra speaks with Dr. Fabian Sandoval about clinical trial diversity.
Enhancing clinical trial diversity is a challenge, but with a multi-faceted, community-centered approach, we can help underrepresented patients be more involved in the research and development of potential life-saving medical treatments.
On April 20, PhRMA sponsored The Atlantic’s Health Equity Summit, hosting PhRMA Presents: Advancing Clinical Trial Diversity through Community-Based Partnerships. As PhRMA’s Chief Medical Officer, I spoke with Dr. Fabian Sandoval, President and CEO, Emerson Clinical Research Institute about opportunities to address current systemic barriers that often prevent communities of color from participating in clinical trials.
Dr. Sandoval and I spoke about the need to build access, awareness and education in community, so that people from communities of color can make their own informed decisions about participating in clinical trials. PhRMA and its member companies are committed to breaking down systemic barriers to participation, which includes supporting trusted messengers already working in clinical trials, like Dr. Fabian Sandoval, as well as building informative, educational and relevant tools that can help enhance clinical trial diversity.
Dr. Sandoval’s TV show, “Tu Salud, Tu Familia,” is one such program. PhRMA recently announced a grant for this effort, which provides viewers with firsthand accounts and interviews with patients on different disease and health conditions, while also providing useful, proactive steps patients can take — like exploring the possibility of joining a clinical trial.
By investing in programs like “Tu Salud, Tu Familia,” PhRMA hopes to help build trust in diverse communities and provide accessible, useful educational tools to community members on the importance of medicine research within their communities. It’s an important and necessary step forward in creating a better health care system that works for each and every patient.
You can learn more about PhRMA’s efforts to advance health equity and enhance clinical trial diversity at PhRMA.org/Equity.
