How is the pharmaceutical industry addressing global health inequities?

Katrina Rice, Chief Delivery Officer, Biometrics, eClinical Solutions

The biopharma industry has made efforts to address underrepresentation and diversity in clinical trials, but with slow progress. These included Congress passing legislation in 2022 requiring companies to give the FDA plans for trial diversity and the June 2024 update calling on sponsors to define Diversity Action Plan progress through measurement and monitoring. However, findings from the Government Accountability Office over the past few years showed continued underrepresentation across trial populations, highlighting diversity gaps.

However, regardless of the regulatory landscape, the focus must shift to making material advances in clinical trial diversity as the only path toward scientific accuracy and sound efficacy of medicines. The industry must reexamine how to address this challenge by supporting ‘techquity,’ embracing technology and data infrastructure to operationalize equity across the trial life cycle. Used correctly, and only when placing patients’ experience first, digital health tools can be enablers in connecting data silos, improving patient participation, and building trust within underrepresented communities.

Advancing health equity requires thoughtful embedding of tech and data-enabled approaches within trial strategies and operations. In doing so, the industry will be equipped to achieve the trial diversity objectives, drive equitable research, and ultimately, improve access to care and health outcomes for all.

Katrina Rice

Chief Delivery Officer, Biometrics Services, eClinical Solutions

Katrina Rice is an accomplished Chief Delivery Officer with an impressive career that spans over 25 years and includes advancement into increasingly demanding leadership roles. With a solid history of leading business transformations and managing global portfolios, she is as much at home scaling operations as she is in developing strategies that drive revenue growth. At eClinical Solutions, Katrina was recently promoted from Executive Vice President of Professional Services to Chief Delivery Officer. She has previously held various technical roles at Lockheed Martin Energy Group and Bayer. Katrina holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and a Master of Science degree in Computer Science with Advanced Applications from the University of New Haven. In her free time, Katrina is an active participant of Chief, a private network for women in senior leadership roles, Treasurer in her church where she oversees all financial aspects and a Member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community.