Representation of Women, Older Adults, and Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Patients in Pivotal Trials for US Food and Drug Administration Novel Oncology Therapeutic Approvals, 2012-2021: Bright Spot Trials and Trends Over Time.

PURPOSE

To examine trends over time in clinical trial diversity for oncology therapeutics, identify bright spot trials adequately representing Black or Latino patients, and examine their associations with trial characteristics.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study of trials supporting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oncology therapeutic approvals (2012-2021) compared proportions of enrolled women, older adults, and racial and ethnic minoritized patients with US patient populations with approved indications and US census data, exploring trends over time. We estimated the likelihood that an organization sponsoring a trial adequately representing Black patients also sponsored a trial adequately representing Latino patients, and vice versa, and examined associations of bright spot trials, trials adequately representing Black or Latino patients, with trial characteristics.

RESULTS

The FDA approved 111 oncology therapeutics (2012-2021) from 70 sponsors, on 121 trials enrolling 50,871 patients, of which 22,155 (44%) were women, 9,442 (19%) older adults (>64 years), 5,319 (9.6%) Asian, 1,353 (3%) Black, and 1,511 (3%) Latino. Zero trials adequately represented all patient demographics with no improvements for any group over the past 10 years ( values >.05), and 80% adequately represented women, 44% older adults (>64 years), and 2% racial and ethnic minoritized patients. We identified 33 bright spot trials, the likelihood of which was associated with individual sponsors ( < .0001), but not sponsor size ( = .22), indication ( = .20), or trial phase ( = .32). There were no associations between a company sponsoring a trial adequately representing Black patients and that company also sponsoring a trial adequately representing Latino patients, or vice versa ( values >0.05).

CONCLUSION

Diverse trial enrollment is inadequate, without improvement over time. There are bright spot trials that may merit study for factors contributing to their successful recruitment of representative patients.