Equity in clinical trial research: What does it mean?
Different people may have different reactions to the same treatment based on their age, gender, weight, race, ethnicity, and other factors. Equity in clinical trials means that the participants in clinical trials represent the people who are most likely to have the health condition and need the treatment that the trial is testing. However, health disparities across communities of color have caused gaps in science and the development of lifesaving treatments for all. To create equitable clinical trial research, more work is needed on everyone’s part.
Inequality in clinical research
In the history of clinical research, people’s race and socioeconomic status were often used against them. This has led to distrust for the medical community and clinical research in many communities of color.
No one can change history, only learn from its mistakes and do better. Merck has implemented programs and policies to ensure transparent research and equal access to clinical trials.
What’s being done about it
Lowering health disparities means enrolling a wide range of participants in clinical trials to make sure vaccines and medicines work across ethnicities, races, and genders.