Diversifying Clinical Trials through Telehealth Platforms

In a recent press release, Ro — a healthcare company — announced that it will partner with the National Institute of Aging, a subset of the NIH, to use its telehealth platform to diversify clinical trials. It is no secret that medicine has unfairly catered to the white, able-bodied male.

Clinical research and data show that clinical trials have persistently excluded those with disabilities and minority communities. These exclusions have affected the efficacy of medical devices and treatment protocols. As providers and public health organizations have become more aware of these discriminatory practices and their outcomes, multiple organizations have made efforts to rectify this issue.

The partnership between Ro and the National Institute of Aging will focus on diversifying recruitment for clinical trials on dementia. The partnership will be called the Registry for Equal Access to Clinical Trials in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) (REACT-AD). The telehealth platform will screen patients at high risk for AD or dementia.

"This is a unique opportunity to work closely with the NIA to support their extensive research on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and to use Ro's technology to help advance more patient-centric clinical trials," said Zachariah Reitano, Co-founder, and CEO of Ro, in the press statement. "Ro's platform was built to advance access to innovative treatments and high-quality care for patients regardless of demographic, insurance coverage, or zip code, and we are excited to do the same for clinical research. This initiative demonstrates how Ro can help our patients achieve their health goals, whether through care on our platform or by connecting them to world-class clinical trials."

Throughout this month, the company will conduct a feasibility study to reach out to patients between 48 and 65 seeking treatment for dementia. The patients must be living within 50 miles of the NIH clinical facilities.

While there is not yet evidence to prove the efficacy of this partnership, researchers and providers hope that it will allow for more diverse recruitment of clinical trials. Assuming this partnership is successful, the outcomes should include clinical trials with a more comprehensive participant profile and effective treatments for all populations.