Study Proves Importance Of Patient Diversity In Clinical Trials

By Ed Miseta, Chief Editor, Clinical Leader

Drs. Roxana Mehran, Wayne Batchelor, and Paul Underwood were frustrated. They knew there was a big problem with clinical trials in the cardiovascular space — namely, that a very small percentage of trial participants were women or minorities. That left all conclusions regarding outcomes of even successful trials mostly tied to white males. Their frustration, and the need for diversity in these trials, was underscored by two key facts:

• Coronary disease is the leading killer in America.
• The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by the year 2050, more than half of the U.S. population will be non-white.