The age of diversity, equality and inclusion

In this issue, our cover article by Danny Buckland focuses on diversity in clinical trials. As Danny says: ‘The clinical trials system has often been labelled prehistoric, due to an inherent lack of inclusion and an inability to represent wider populations.

‘The FDA reported that, although 40% of the US population is from minority racial and ethnic groups, an overwhelming 75% of 32,000 participants in the trials of 53 approved novel drugs were white.  Teva, in its quest to promote greater diversity, underscored the issue by reporting on its website: ‘Only 30% of the participants were over 65 years of age and more than half of the patients were located in the US.’

‘The FDA’s insistence that more real-world evidence needs to be included in clinical trials is a major advance, but practical steps need to be taken to make it easier for patients to participate in trials.’ Read more on page 30.

In his article on page 16, Uday Bose, Country Managing Director at Boehringer Ingelheim UK and Ireland talks about the importance of involving the patient voice in digital transformation, and why the real drivers of change in digital transformation cannot be underestimated or left behind.

For those of you, like me, who eagerly anticipate the next excellent, thought-provoking column from Rohit Khanna in each issue, he’s taking a break this month, but I’m very pleased to say that he expects to be back next month to bring us more hard-hitting commentary on the state of the US healthcare system.

Looking ahead, our December issue will focus on the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the importance of a good public image and how CSR strategies have been shaped by recent events. We’ll also look at how decentralised clinical trials can improve research and benefit patients.

If you would like to make your voice heard on these topics, please get in touch at sales@pmlive.com

I hope you enjoy this issue!

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