Dr. William Carson on 3 Reasons Clinical Trials Are Safe for Black Americans

In Dr. William Carson’s experience, he says, “It is as difficult today to get African Americans to participate in clinical trials as it was 20 years ago.” Why is that? Many of us are fearful about clinical trials, recalling the Tuskegee Experiment and others. Or, we are uninformed about what really happens during participation in a clinical trial. In this “CEO Spotlight” segment, Dr. Carson, former CEO of Otsuka, shares his insights on why more Black Americans should participate in clinical trials. Watch the full interview with Dr. Carson here. Read below for Dr. Carson’s perspectives on clinical trials for Black Americans. Overcoming Fear to Participate in Clinical Trials We should run to the front of the line to participate in clinical trials. One aspect of every clinical trial is that patients get a very thorough physical evaluation. So, when was the last time you had a great physical [examination] and somebody paid you for it? We’ve found in almost every trial that we’ve done, we always find somebody who has a condition that needs to be treated. If they didn’t participate in the trial, they may not have known that that condition needed to be treated. So that is...