Diversity Push for Clinical Trials Prompts House Panel Look

Clinical trial diversity is garnering more attention from lawmakers as they seek to resolve a longstanding deficiency amid a larger national focus on health equity.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s health panel Wednesday will consider a bill (H.R. 7845) that would require researchers to submit “clear and measurable goals” in their grant applications to recruit and retain clinical trial participants who reflect the race, ethnicity, age, and sex of the patient or general US population. The bill would apply to clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“This is what we’ve wanted with NIH funding ...