DECEMBER 2023LIFE SCIENCES REVIEW8IN MY OPINIONBy Sherene Shakib Min, MD, MPH, VP, Head of Global Clinical Development, ViiV Healthcarender-representation of minority racial and ethnic groups in clinical trials has been called striking, persistent, and harmful. In the US, HIV disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities, including Black and Hispanic communities, yet they participate in treatment and vaccine clinical trials at a much lower rate than whites. It's the same story globally, where adolescent girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa, people who use drugs in Europe and Central Asia, and transgender women in Asia, the Pacific and Latin America, are also not well-represented in clinical trials. Historically, HIV clinical trial participants have been over-represented by male participants, even though women account for almost half of all new HIV diagnoses globally. A wide range of people from different communities and backgrounds are needed in clinical trials to reduce biases, promote social justice and health equity, and produce more innovative science. Healthcare providers (HCPs) often find it challenging to apply the results of large research studies to the care of people living with HIV or who would benefit from prevention therapy, especially when the study participants do not reflect the racial identity, ethnicity, age, or sex and gender of their patients. In HIV specifically, what we learn from trial data should mirror the diverse populations we serve, including racial and ethnic minorities, men who have sex with men, transgender women, heterosexuals, women (including pregnant women), the aging population along with adolescents and children and people who use drugs. Change is comingViiV Healthcare (ViiV HC), a company 100 percent dedicated to people living with HIV and those who might benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), UCLINICAL TRIAL DIVERSITY IN HIV Sherene Shakib Min
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