Representation matters, especially when it comes to clinical trials. Despite comprising more than 40% of the U.S. population, communities of color only make up 5% to 10% of clinical trial participants.
During September, which is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen collaborated with Brandon Blue, M.D., of the Moffitt Cancer Center, in a push to make clinical trials more inclusive.
Blue is helping to promote Janssen's educational website ResearchIncludesMe.com, which has information about clinical trials available in both English and Spanish. The site not only addresses what clinical trials are and why a diverse population is needed to run them but also features a link so patients can find a trial near them.
Just as important as the website is actual in-person community engagement. The outreach includes a mobile health unit wrapped in "Research Includes Me" branding traveling around the country meeting people in their communities to explain the ins and outs of trials with brochures and literature. Blue brings his own personal experience in the community and understands the deterrents facing these groups—not only emotional and historical distrust, but practical considerations—for example, the ability to get to a larger academic medical center for their treatment.
It’s an important initiative, as this lack of diversity has real-world effects. "In multiple myeloma, some evidence shows that Black patients will have better health outcomes and survival rates than their White counterparts if they were simply given access to the same clinical trials," according to Janssen.
These kinds of positive results aren’t the norm, which shows just how high the stakes are. Lisa Lewis, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion in clinical trials for oncology at Janssen, said in an interview that if only there were equitable participation in the trials, there would be better outcomes for Black patients.
“All we want is if there's a trial place at a site that every patient that walks through the door is considered equally for participation in that trial. And unfortunately, it's been well documented, well studied, that sometimes that doesn't happen. That disparity is really just a symptom of what we see in the broader healthcare system,” Lewis said.
Janssen is heavily invested in the multiple myeloma space with teclistamab and Carvykti as well as blockbuster anti-CD38 antibody Darzalex. J&J has also reported positive early-phase data for talquetamab, a bispecific antibody, in heavily pretreated myeloma patients. Darzalex, teclistamab and talquetamab all incorporate antibody technology from Genmab.
The pharma is also aiming to move its therapies earlier in the treatment line by pairing teclistamab with Darzalex, which is being tested in the phase 3 MajesTEC-3 trial in patients who have received one to three prior lines of therapy.