Expert: FDA to Continue Efforts to Address Disparities in Cancer Drug Trials

Pharmacy Times interviewed Lola Fashoyin-Aje, MD, MPH, associate director of Science & Policy Program to Address Disparities at the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), on the importance of promoting inclusion of members of racial and ethnic minority groups in cancer drug development, a topic that was addressed in an article recently published in JAMA co-authored by Fashoyin-Aje.

During the discussion, Fashoyin-Aje explained how the efforts of the OCE impact the ways in which cancer drug trials are conducted, specifically in terms of representation of patient populations; why representation of all populations for which a therapeutic is intended is important in cancer drug trials; potential sources of the problem that lead to a lack of representation in cancer drug trials; and some of the current efforts underway at the OCE to address disparities in cancer drug trials.