JANSSEN
NOVEMBER 2021
Diversity and inclusion in clinical trials can help make the world a healthier place
for everyone
Many of the diseases Janssen works to prevent, treat, and cure—including immunological disorders, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, neuroscience, pulmonary hypertension, and many forms of oncology—impact certain people differently based on their race, age, gender, and ethnic
To achieve this, Janssen has focused on engaging members of underserved communities to raise awareness of the importance of clinical research and build trust in the process, and address and reduce systemic and tactical barriers to access. This includes conducting cultural competency trainings with local Clinical Trial Educators nationwide to help them embrace conversations on diversity and dispel common misconceptions and fears about clinical trials. Janssen also works with community partners, including churches, civic groups and professional associations to establish trust, increase transparency and disseminate accurate information about today’s clinical trial process. Janssen’s Research Includes Me program (www.ResearchIncludesMe.com) provides educational resources on clinical trials to potential participants and helps those interested to find a trial in their geographic area.
Diverse participation in clinical trials is important because a lack of adequate representation can present
practical challenges.
Every day, researchers, scientists, and physicians around the globe are making medical breakthroughs that help us stave off injury, disease and death. Their work is helping to alter the trajectory of diseases and advancing human health—but that’s only part of the picture.
While many aspects of health are advancing at a rapid pace, many people continue to be left behind. This disparity is seen not only on the surface in terms of inequitable access to affordable and quality healthcare, but it also runs much deeper, rooted in the way researchers build their clinical trials.
To assess the size of the disparity in clinical trial participation, one need only look at the data. For instance:
Diverse representation is especially important in clinical trials for immunological conditions like ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and hidradenitis suppurativa, which can be debilitating for patients and where there historically have been unmet patient needs. Janssen is working to build immunology trials that are representative of the people who will ultimately use the investigational medicines under study. For example, the company set out to enroll a diverse population in its LOTUS clinical trial for lupus by educating investigators, traveling to patient communities and easing barriers to access. As a result, it was able to achieve 38% participation of diverse populations compared to the industry average of 12% at the time.
If you are interested in learning more about how your participation in clinical trials can impact the safety and efficacy of therapies and treatments, or you’d like to find a trial being conducted in your area, please visit www.ResearchIncludesMe.com.
Diverse participation in clinical trials is important because a lack of adequate representation can present practical challenges. That’s why the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, a global leader in creating solutions to prevent, treat, and cure some of the world’s most challenging health issues, is focused on shaping the future of clinical trial design to ensure it is more diverse, inclusive and equitable for all populations.
background. So, one of the first steps in providing equal care for all is to ensure that the clinical trials upon which so many treatments and medicines are based are representative of as many patients as possible.
Editors T. Clinical trials have far too little racial and ethnic diversity. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/clinical-trials-have-far-too-little-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/. Published September 1, 2018. Accessed October 2021.
Lewis JH;Kilgore ML;Goldman DP;Trimble EL;Kaplan R;Montello MJ;Housman MG;Escarce JJ; Participation of patients 65 years of age or older in cancer clinical trials. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12663731/. Published April 3, 2003. Accessed October 15, 2021.
Zucker I, Prendergast BJ. Sex differences in pharmacokinetics predict adverse drug reactions in women. Biology of Sex Differences. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-020-00308-5. Published June 5, 2020. Accessed October 2021.
Discrimination contributes to poorer heart health for LGBTQ adults. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201008083805.htm. Published October 8, 2020. Accessed October 2021.
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•A recent study of clinical trials involving 150,000 patients in 29 countries over the past 21 years showed that the ethnic makeup of the trials was about 86% White.
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•Data from multiple cooperative cancer groups indicate that patients 65 years and older comprise just 32% of clinical trial participants.
•56% of LGBTQ adults and 70% of those who are transgender report experiencing some sort of discrimination from a healthcare professional, leading in part to a dire lack of clinical research on LGBTQ health-related issues.
•For decades, women were excluded from clinical drug trials altogether.
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