BioNJ and Medidata have announced a collaborative effort focused on evaluating demographic representation within clinical trials conducted in New Jersey. The partnership aims to address underrepresentation and bolster the recruitment of diverse communities into clinical research.
The collaboration included a study analyzing New Jersey’s clinical trial recruitment performance against comparable northeastern states, including Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York. The whitepaper, titled "Health Equity in Clinical Trials: New Jersey Participants," highlights disparities in demographic recruitment and identifies potential public policy improvements to achieve more accurate demographic representation.
"By determining disparities and offering solutions for improvement, our hope is that our recommendations within the whitepaper will help to ensure that clinical trials better reflect the populations they aim to serve," said BioNJ President and CEO Debbie Hart. "This is crucial for advancing health care equity and ensuring that therapeutics are accurately assessed for every community."
Clinical trials, representing a $15.2 billion enterprise in the U.S., are the foundation for new therapies. BioNJ and Medidata emphasize that existing inequities in enrollment limit the benefits, particularly for historically marginalized groups. The collaboration seeks to empower recruitment efforts, ensuring equitable access to biomedical advancements.
The study marks a significant milestone for BioNJ’s Health Equity in Clinical Trials Initiative, which was launched in 2022. The findings of the study will be presented on November 7.
