AI Is Big Pharma’s Latest Tool to Boost Equality in Clinical Trials
Nov 12, 2023 - bloomberg.com
Black Americans are twice as likely to develop multiple myeloma compared to their White counterparts, but their participation in clinical trials is only 4.8%. To address this, Johnson & Johnson has successfully used artificial intelligence to increase the participation rate. The company used algorithms to identify community centers where Black patients with this type of cancer might seek treatment, which helped increase the Black enrollment rate in five ongoing studies to approximately 10%.
Traditional academic centers or clinics that conduct trials are often not easily accessible to minority or low-income patients due to distance or cost. The use of AI to identify more accessible locations for these patients has proven to be an effective strategy in increasing their participation in clinical trials.
Key takeaways:
Black Americans are twice as likely to develop multiple myeloma than White Americans, but their participation in clinical trials is only 4.8%.
Johnson & Johnson has used artificial intelligence to increase the participation of Black patients in clinical trials.
The AI was used to identify community centers where Black patients with this cancer might seek treatment.
This strategy has increased the Black enrollment rate in five ongoing studies to about 10%.
