Clinical Trials & Black Folks: 5 FAQs Answered

Clinical trials (also called medical research and research studies) are used to determine whether new drugs/treatments are both safe and effective. In addition, they help researchers decide if a drug’s risks are worth its benefits (risk/benefit ratio). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers the results from clinical trials in approving a drug or treatment. Once approved, the therapy becomes available for doctors to prescribe to their patients. New therapies are tested on people in clinical trials only after laboratory and animal studies show promising results. It is a challenge for researchers to recruit adequate numbers of clinical trial participants, and even more of a challenge to recruit Black Americans. This is a concern because there is evidence that certain drugs have different effects on Black Americans than they do on Caucasians. To help garner trust and understanding, here are five questions frequently asked by Black Americans around clinical trials, answered. Why don’t more Black Americans participate in clinical trials? There is a general distrust of the medical/healthcare system amongst some Black Americans, and perhaps many, based on personal experience. In addition, historical events have given Black Americans reason to mistrust clinical trials. On July 26, 1972, the New York...