Incyte Commitment

CLINICAL TRIAL Diversity Commitment

For many years, most clinical trials included white men only. This meant that the information collected in those trials was not complete and could not help us learn how treatments affected other groups. But today, researchers encourage participation across all age groups, genders, races and ethnicities.

​We know that age, gender, race, and ethnicity can each impact how people are affected by disease and how they respond to treatment. For example, Alzheimer’s disease happens twice as often in women than in men. Type-2 diabetes and asthma are more common in African Americans than in other ethnicities.  Hispanic, Asian and White women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than other ethnicities and races. Children respond to some treatments differently than adults. ​

That’s why the participation of all these groups is so important for research. ​
​The more diverse the participants in clinical trials, the more researchers learn about the different ways that people respond to treatments. ​

It is essential that diverse communities are well represented in clinical trials in order for researchers to understand and treat disease among each unique population. ​
Several studies have shown that under-represented, minority populations are less likely to participate in clinical research than Caucasians. Some barriers to racially and ethnically diverse clinical trial participation include:

• mistrust

• fear

• lack of comfort with the clinical trial process

• lack of information about clinical trials

In addition, social and economic factors may negatively impact peoples’ willingness to participate in clinical research.

For researchers, recognizing these challenges is a step in the right direction. But work is needed to make sure that people in all communities understand clinical research and know where to seek more information. Health Authorities have issued guidance encouraging pharmaceutical companies to make diversity a priority in clinical trials. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made diversity a requirement in their sponsored clinical trials. These efforts signal the importance of patient and community engagement in clinical research. Incyte supports these efforts and is committed to taking the necessary steps to encourage diversity in our clinical trials.

Today, the public and professionals are more aware than ever of the need for diverse populations in clinical research. At Incyte, we are making it a priority to remove participation barriers, improve diversity, and pave the way to a healthier future for everyone.