Noted This Week

Federal agencies, Congress, and others need to improve representation of minority groups and underrepresented populations in clinical trials and research, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM 2022 May 17 [Epub ahead of print]). Lack of representation may limit access to medical interventions and new therapies for some patients and increase health disparities, which could cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 30 years. Among the report’s recommendations: require study sponsors to ensure that trial cohorts reflect the demographics of the condition under study, establish a task force to investigate new incentives for drug and device trials for which enrollment reflects the general population, and press the NIH to consider participant representation when assessing the impact of a grant proposal.

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