Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Laying the groundwork for clinical trial diversity 

By Brian Buntz | March 9, 2022

Diversity

Image courtesy of Pixabay

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the importance of clinical trial diversity while also asserting remote clinical trials as a valid approach for a growing number of drug studies, as a recent JAMA study concluded.

At the same time, the pandemic highlighted the need for continued progress, according to Otis Johnson, chief diversity, inclusion and sustainability officer at Clario.

“I think COVID shone too much of a bright light on the lack of diversity in clinical trials for us not to make progress,” Johnson said.

More regulatory clarity

While a growing number of drug developers are prioritizing diversity, “regulatory agencies will need to be more deliberate,” Johnson added. “So far, the guidance has been exactly that — guidance.” Regulatory agencies should mandate best practices supporting diversity in clinical trials, he said.

Otis Johnson

Otis Johnson

The lack of diversity historically is startling. “If you look at the 371 drugs that were approved by the FDA, between 2007 and 2017, only 37% of the clinical trials that supported those submissions had ethnicity data.”

When the lack of diversity is dangerous

The lack of diversity has real-world implications. “You could have a loved one taking an approved medication for a life-threatening condition, but you’re not sure if it’s going to work because it wasn’t tested in enough people like you,” Johnson said. “That’s just a dangerous proposition.”

At the same time, it can be challenging to persuade diverse populations to participate in clinical trials, given the precedent of unethical experiments on minorities that ultimately led to the formation of the U.S. Office for Human Research Protections around the turn of the century.

“There have been some significant events in the past that have eroded that trust, and we really need to rebuild that,” Johnson said.

COVID-19 drug trials could point to the future

The majority of clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines and drugs were more diverse than is typical in the industry.

It was only fitting because, in the early days of the pandemic, in particular, diverse populations were disproportionately affected. “Blacks were three times more likely to contract COVID and were two times more likely to die from it,” Johnson said. “Naturally, the vaccine developers had to make sure that they had adequate representation of minorities in those trials to make sure that the vaccines work for all.”

The pandemic underscored the potential of decentralized trials to help foster diversity and be more patient-friendly. “We need to make the whole trial process as easy for participants as possible and recognize that diversity in clinical trials is the only way to ensure that the medicines that we develop are safe and effective for all,” Johnson said.

In addition, in-person trials can present obstacles to diversity. “If there’s unequal access to transportation and parking — basic things like that, it would make it difficult for a diverse patient to participate in a trial.”

How technology and a diverse workforce can help with clinical trial diversity

Johnson underscores the importance of clinical trial organizations having a diverse workforce. “We know if your workforce is diverse, you’re more likely to get patients to sign up for your clinical trials,” he said.

At the same time, the growing use of technology in clinical trials is “the great equalizer,” Johnson said. It has never been easier to implement telehealth or diverse clinical trials. “If technology is used right, it’s a game-changer for facilitating clinical trial diversity, but also enabling health equity overall.”

“It’s never been a more exciting time to work on this problem of patient diversity,” Johnson concluded.


Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery
Tagged With: clinical trial diversity, COVID-19 pandemic, diversity
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

Lokavant’s Spectrum v15 uses AI to cut trial-feasibility modeling from weeks to minutes
Glass vial, pipette and woman scientist in laboratory for medical study, research or experiment. Test tube, dropper and professional female person with chemical liquid for pharmaceutical innovation
Unlocking ‘bench-to-bedside’ discoveries requires better data sharing and collaboration
How biosimulation and virtual trials can bust through clinical trial roadblocks
Complexity’s counterpoint: Understanding protocol optimization 
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE