New study highlights lack of diversity and participation in vaccine clinical trials

A team of scientific experts from the United States and Puerto Rico has advocated increasing the diversity of vaccine trials after publishing a new report highlighting the decade’s gap.New research published in JAMA network openIs the most underrated group of U.S.-based vaccine clinical trials for Black / African Americans, Native Americans / Alaska Natives, Hispanics / Latinos, and people over the age of 65. understood. Conversely, adult women were overrated.

The research team conducted 230 US-based surveys Vaccine test From July 2011 to June 2020, there were approximately 220,000 participants, among all phases. Researchers have found that many trials do not fully report demographic information, and that the studies reported often underestimate racial and ethnic minorities. Senior citizens.. The main findings from the analysis of studies that reported demographic information are as follows:

• Whites accounted for 78% of all participants
• Women accounted for 56%
• Black / African Americans accounted for 11%
• Native Americans / Alaska accounted for 0.4%
• Hispanic / Latin Americans accounted for 12%
• 12% are over 65 years old

Asian and native Hawaii / Pacific Islands participants vaccine A test compared to the US population.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact, especially on the BIPOC (black, indigenous, colored) community and the elderly, is a real sensation of health inequalities in our country,” said Associate Professor Steve Pergum. The doctor says. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division and one of the authors of the corresponding study). “This collaborative study highlights a long-standing problem in the scientific community: inadequate expression in clinical trials. The diversity seen in the COVID-19 vaccine trial shows that this is possible. However, future research should not focus solely on rapid registration, but also on inclusion. “

The research team also found that despite efforts to implement the policies and guidelines of the National Institutes of Health, there remained issues regarding the acquisition and underreporting of participants’ demographics.

“From now on, we need to ensure that all vaccine studies report demographic information,” said Dr. Julie Silver, one of the senior authors of the study and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in the Faculty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Says. “There are some missing data, but the numerous studies that reported this information show that racial and ethnic minorities and the elderly are often not fairly represented.”

The authors argue that improving racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials is important because registration can affect minority vaccination rates.

“The hesitation and lack of understanding of vaccine safety is a major challenge facing COVID-19,” said Fred Hatchin, Senior Staff Scientist and co-author of the study leading the efforts of COVID involvement. Dr. Michele Andrasic said. -19 Prevention network. “By improving enrollment diversity, these underrepresented groups can be better engaged early in the exam phase to address education and trust issues.”

To address this issue, the National Academy of Science and Technology Medicine recently established a committee dedicated to improving the representation of women and undervalued minorities in clinical trials and research. Dr. Carlos del Rio, a prominent professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and co-author of the study, is a member of the committee.

The author also proposes the future trial Emphasize the inclusion of older men and women. The aging population of the United States and many other countries requires testing vaccines in the elderly. As the current pandemic shows, illnesses like COVID-19 affect the elderly, especially adults in long-term care facilities, disproportionately.