Abbott expands Diversity in Clinical Trials initiative with new recommendations and partnerships

Abbott has released a report, Advancing Diversity in Clinical Trials, outlining strategies to address key barriers to diverse participation in clinical research, including lack of trust, transparency, access and common language.

The report marks the third year of Abbott’s multimillion-dollar Diversity in Clinical Trials initiative. The report offers actionable recommendations and insights from nearly 100 experts, including researchers, physicians, advocacy groups and Abbott professionals on hiring diverse research teams, creating multilingual resources and designing trials incorporating remote data collection to minimize patient travel.

“Clinical trials are the cornerstone of medical progress and they must reflect the diversity of the population they aim to serve,” said Dr. Danielle Bajakian at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center said in an Abbott news release. “Abbott’s insightful publication provides recommended strategies based on years of research and analysis that will help ensure adequate representation in clinical trials across diverse demographics. Ultimately, I need to be able to look my patients in the eye and say this treatment has been studied on patients like them, and this is why we should be using this therapy.”

Collaborating across the industry

Abbott said new partnerships have expanded its intiative, like a pilot program with the National Blood Clot Alliance to establish a Patient Advisory Panel to gather insights for improving trial logistics and patient experiences.

Abbott also collaborated with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) to develop educational materials for its new clinical trial resource website.

“Much of the medical information we have today is based on clinical research that doesn’t include enough women and other underrepresented groups,” said Jennifer Jones-McMeans, divisional VP of global clinical affairs for Abbott’s vascular business, co-lead of Abbott’s Diversity in Research Office, and one of the authors of the new report. “The recommendations in this new publication provide a roadmap to ensure a more inclusive healthcare system for everyone.”

Previously: How Abbott seeks to improve care, health inequities for people with cardiovascular disease

Proactive measures ahead of FDA requirements

Abbott has developed a template and internal resources in anticipation of the FDA’s 2025 mandate for diversity and inclusion plans in clinical trial submissions. The company has also built a cross-divisional data collection tool to track patient demographics and ensure accountability.

Last year, Abbott reported that 54% of its U.S. clinical trial participants were women, and 44% were Hispanic or non-white, which aligns with U.S. census data. The company has also awarded nearly 150 scholarships to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and nursing associations to build a pipeline of diverse clinical researchers.

Read more: Design for access, says Abbott’s Lisa Earnhardt, medtech’s most powerful woman