Vanderbilt University Medical Center is part of an initiative announced Tuesday aimed at increasing diversity in clinical trials.
A $10 million grant funded by trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America will support 10 community-based clinical trial sites through an 18-month pilot program. The site locations will be concentrated in Southeast and Southwest and are set to be announced in early fall.
Stephen Ubl, president and CEO of PhRMA, pointed out that in early clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatments, 95 percent of participants were white, while just 1 percent were Black.
“It's important for fairness to make sure patients who want to participate in clinical trials have the opportunity to do so,” Ubl said. “It's important for science to make sure that we have the best data to inform health care decisions. Most importantly, it's to restore and build trust to make sure all individuals regardless of race feel included and respected in health care.”
Participating institutions include the Yale School of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Coordinating Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and PhRMA.
Dr. Peter Embí, senior vice president for research and innovation at VUMC, said the organization will look to bring research sites closer to community members and offer study materials in multiple languages. Working in community-based clinical trial sites in the past, he said having a steady stream of opportunities and a network of sponsors is key to the success of these sites.
“What often happens is a sponsor comes in, establishes infrastructure, establishes capabilities, a study is concluded, and then they leave,” said Embí. “That leaves the site without an ability to be ready for the next, and it's just not sustainable. We know that we need to fundamentally change the paradigm on how we do this.”
Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and CEO at Morehouse School of Medicine and a founder of Meharry’s Center for Women’s Health Research, noted that there’s also limited diversity among investigators and staff who are running the trials.
“I really believe that clinical trial diversity is an issue of fairness,” Rice said. “It is the first step into achieving health equity. … People may want to participate in a trial, [but] they don't have the information or they're not at top of mind with that provider who is enrolling subjects and seeing patients but not necessarily seeing them in that trial. We know that many persons in underserved communities and communities of color have not been included.”
