By Hilary Wilson, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cleonette D. Cudjoe, Patient Advocate, and Jen Horonjeff, Savvy Cooperative
Underrepresentation of Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC) and other racial and ethnic minorities in clinical trials is a longstanding issue. The disparate impact that COVID-19 has had on BIPOC, Hispanic, Latinx, and Asian communities, combined with the underrepresentation of these subgroups in some COVID-19 clinical trials, has brought a sense of urgency to address this historic challenge. Within the past year, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released the first industry-wide principles on clinical trial diversity; the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center published the “Achieving Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Clinical Research” guidance; and the US FDA released a final guidance to encourage the inclusion of groups that are often overlooked in clinical trials.