According to the United Nations, managing the reality of an ageing population will require scientific advances and joint efforts if the unique health challenges of older adults are to be addressed.
At the same time, how clinical trials are designed and delivered is under the spotlight like never before. As part of this, improving inclusivity is high on the agenda of many RBW clients and wider stakeholders.
Whilst the topic of diversity and inclusion in clinical trials is rightly a hot topic that is attracting huge attention and research more broadly, the focus on age inclusivity has not on its own been singled out by many. There has been some research and guidance - the most notable guidance coming from the 2010 EU Charter based on the PREDICT study, and there has also been a more recent publication from the FDA relating to inclusion of older adults in cancer clinical trials – but there is nothing that has been conducted in the post-pandemic period that caters for broader trial participant groups. And we know that the pandemic resulted in a real environmental shift in all sorts of ways.
