Abbott Increases Clinical Trial Diversity In Medical Research

Abbott recently launched a new initiative to increase clinical trial diversity in medical research through training, education, and improved clinical research infrastructure throughout the US. 

The company’s effort will improve health by increasing access to treatment options available in trials and boosting insights about how different groups respond to new therapies. 

Individuals of different cultural backgrounds account for about 40 percent of the US population. And these people are disproportionately impacted by chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Underrepresentation in trials is generally due to historical and societal barriers. Currently, individuals from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds represent just five percent of trial enrollments.

Abbott is focused on reducing these barriers and boosting diversity within its own trials through funding for future trial leaders, the diversity in research medical advisory board (MAB), and dedicating funding to boost access to Abbott trials. 

“As an industry, we need to set new standards to make sure that our clinical trials remain representative of the people our products are designed to help,” Robert B. Ford, president and chief executive officer of Abbott, said in the announcement.

“We want to continue to break down both existing and emerging barriers to participation in clinical trials so we can help more people have greater access to therapies that have the potential to change lives,” Ford continued. 

For example, Abbott has formed new partnerships with the four HBCU medical schools, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine. 

Additionally, the company has dedicated $5 million to fund 300 scholarships over the next five years to support ethnically diverse nurses, doctors, and researchers who will lead future trials. 

And made up of independent doctors, trialists, and health advocates, Abbott’s MAB will counsel methods to reduce barriers to access within under-represented populations and communities of color. 

Lastly, Abbott will dedicate internal funding to improve access for women and under-represented communities within trials. 

The funding will support more trial sites for select Abbott trials, new investigator training opportunities, and trial components to combat barriers, such as barriers to transportation vouchers and interpreters. 

“Abbott’s ability to build on its experience in supporting trials in communities of color and develop a platform to expand access to cutting edge therapies can truly change the care continuum for more patients,” said Melvin Echols, MD, FACC, cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine and a member of Abbott’s MAB.