Transgender patients are rarely included in clinical trials. Can pharma fix it?

Despite efforts to improve trial diversity, transgender and nonbinary patients are still underrepresented. Now, there’s momentum to change the status quo.

https://www.pharmavoice.com/news/transgender-nonbinary-clinical-trial-diversity/654213/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-06-30%20PharmaVoice%20%5Bissue:51844%5D&utm_term=PharmaVoice

Although an estimated 1.6 million Americans identify as transgender or nonbinary, a recent Parexel report revealed that less than one percent of clinical trials in the U.S. include patients from these communities.

While the industry is making strides toward improving trial access, its efforts have largely focused on race and ethnicity, often leaving out considerations of gender identity and sexuality. For transgender and nonbinary patients, underrepresentation in these studies could determine whether a life-saving therapy will work in their bodies, or whether it will cause more harm.

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For instance, in a trial for an ovarian cancer drug, an inclusive protocol would allow all patients with ovaries to participate, rather than just people who identify as female by sex or as a woman by gender because nonbinary individuals and trans men can also have ovaries.