Celebrating comms excellence

Small changes can make a big impact: being picked up by a friend instead of driving yourself; testing kits being couriered to you or childcare being provided on your behalf.

These changes remind us that being human is about sharing kindness and inclusion. In clinical trials, the ball of inclusivity is rolling, but is it gathering enough momentum?

Over the last decade, the trial landscape has been undergoing reforms to become more focused on enrolling a diverse population. The US set up the Diversity Action Plan as a requirement alongside drug submissions, and the UK is piloting its own diversity programme, both of which are truly meaningful developments. While we should celebrate every step in the right direction, there is no room for stagnation: the data paints a complex but telling picture. Under-representation of diverse groups in clinical trials remains. It raises the question: what can be done to bridge this gap?

Study protocols are built around data and research, but they also mean understanding the person they aim to serve and representing them. Reducing participant burden in clinical trials can support inclusion and diversity. If a clinic being open over a weekend means one more person can participate, that could change the outlook not only for them, but also for future individuals who might benefit from that treatment.

A reduction of the burden means fewer roadblocks for people who consider applying to clinical trials, which could lead to a higher inclusion rate and more accurate, real-world-like reporting in trials. Solutions need careful consideration – some work for one trial but pose challenges to another. Digital tools are an increasingly common solution, but only a solution if participants have reliable internet access. Study designs built around assumptions about access will quietly lose that human-centricity, excluding the very people they should be reaching.

Our industry understands that making the experience better for people living with a health condition begins by including them – in conversation, and in trials.

Noortje Vermeil is Senior Account Director at 67health