About 13 percent of black Americans have type 2 diabetes, compared to just 7.6 percent of non-Hispanic white Americans. Mortality rates associated to cardiovascular disease are also disproportionately higher for this population, according to the report.
To assess the clinical trial representation of black Americans, researchers reviewed data from seven cardiovascular outcome trials conducted after the Food and Drug Administration required drug companies to investigate cardiovascular risk for new diabetes drugs in 2008.
In five of the seven trials, reported participation of black Americans was less than 5 percent.
Researchers cite several reasons for low clinical trial participation rates by minorities, including socioeconomic status, insufficient reliable transportation and poor health literacy.
“As new drugs for type 2 diabetes become available, planners of cardiovascular outcome trials should ensure greater representation of minorities, in view of the potential for race to affect drug efficacy,” the researchers concluded. “Ultimately, if the pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics of minority subpopulations are better understood, and if more comprehensive data are obtained for purposes of guiding drug selection and dosing, the efficacy of precision medicine could well be improved.”
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