ADVERTISEMENT
Alopecia Areata Clinical Trials See Decrease in Hispanic and Black Participation
According to a poster presented at the 2023 AAD Annual Meeting, Hispanic and Black patients tend to be underrepresented in alopecia areata (AA) clinical trials and participation has continuously decreased within the last decade.
Researchers aimed to examine the ethnoracial characteristics found in AA trial participants and to compare if they reflect the epidemiology. They utilized the US National Library of Medicine database and identified about 30.0% with results of AA clinical trials consisting of ethnoracial data. A total of 2587 patients’ data were collected, which consisted of 62.4% White patients, 25.4% Asian patients, 12.6% Hispanic/Latino patients, 8.2% Black/African American patients, 0.5% American Indian/Alaska Native patients, and 0.2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients. The authors noted that although minority representation increased from 2012 to 2022, this was only due to the increase in Asian participants (from about 4.1% to 30.8%). Within the same period, Hispanic participants decreased from 23.3% to 11.3% and Black participants decreased from 9.6% to 7.5%. Additionally, roughly 27.8% of trials did not include Hispanic/Latino participants due to the lack of ethnic category.
The results of the study showcased a decrease in participation and underrepresentation of Hispanic and Black patients within the last decade. Considering that AA is significantly prevalent in Hispanic, Asian, and Black populations compared with White populations, the lack of representation has direct implications for real-world therapeutic efficacy.
“To increase transparency and diversify patient recruitment, we encourage investigators to: (1) consistently report ethnoracial data, (2) include Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category, and (3) implement funding incentives and community partnerships,” the authors concluded.
Reference
Jin J, Elhage K, Spencer R, Davis M, et al. Trends in ethnoracial representation in alopecia areata clinical trials: a cross-sectional study. Poster presented at: AAD Annual Meeting; March 17–21, 2023; New Orleans, LA.
