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The importance of diversity in clinical trials for hepatitis C

Updated on October 23, 2024

Diversity is important in clinical trials due to genetic, metabolic, social, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to disease outcomes.

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Transcript

00:00
Hey, Dr. McCutchen. Hepatitis C seems to disproportionately affect Black people. Why is that?
00:06
That's actually a really great question. Let's take a deeper dive. [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:19
Clinical trials help medical professionals find safe and effective treatments for people with certain diseases.
00:26
Participants in these trials should accurately represent the population of those most affected by whatever
00:32
the disease is being studied. Meaning if a certain gender, age, or ethnicity group
00:38
is disproportionately affected by a certain disease, then a clinical trial should accurately represent that population in order
00:46
to obtain the most accurate data. For example, hepatitis C disproportionately affects African-Americans in the United States.
00:54
You think that this would mean that in clinical trials for hepatitis C treatments a majority of the participants
01:01
would be African-American. However, that is not the case. The FDA has recommended racial and ethnic data
01:08
be collected for all clinical trials, but it's not a requirement. A recent study of hepatitis C clinical trials
01:14
that did report race found that only about 13% of participants were African-American. If reporting race data becomes a requirement,
01:23
appropriate measures can be taken to make sure those who need to participate in the trials the most are represented.
01:30
Race is important in clinical trials due to the genetic, metabolic, social, economic, and cultural factors that
01:36
contribute to disease outcomes. Treatment isn't one-size fits all, and without this data, it can make treating certain populations more
01:44
difficult and less accurate. Factors that can contribute to lack of diversity in clinical trials are the lack of insurance,
01:53
which would exclude people from participating in certain clinical trials, limited flexibility at work
01:59
to participate, trial sites are not easily accessible, and the lack of awareness and information
02:05
about the clinical trials. Recruiting people for clinical trials may be difficult when reaching out to certain communities. African-Americans may be hesitant to participate
02:13
in clinical trials due to the systemic racism that still plagues our country. It is important to rebuild trust in minority communities
02:21
so that they can be properly cared for. Diversity in clinical trials means that new drugs and treatments can be more safe and effective

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