Words by GOLD newsdesk
Sanofi has joined the ‘Beacon of Hope’ programme – a Novartis initiative seeking to address racial inequality in clinical trials, health and education and to create greater diversity across R&D structures.
One factor the initiative aims to improve is the inclusion of more healthcare providers of colour in clinical trial development processes. To achieve this, Sanofi plans to work closely with the four historically black medical schools across the US.
“We are honoured to join our peers to shine a light on the racial inequities in our industry and to bring more diversity to clinical trials,” said Dietmar Berger, Chief Medical Officer, Global Head of Development, Sanofi. “There is a clear lack of diversity among trial participants, clinical trial investigators, medical school students and physicians, and we look forward to emboldening the next generation of investigators from underrepresented communities.”
Joining this initiative is a part of Sanofi’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, launched in June 2021, which seeks to hit objectives on these key areas by 2025. It also sees the pharma giant join the likes of Merck, which has additionally committed to improving its own clinical trial diversity.
