Clinical trials seek to fix their lack of racial mix

When the biotechnology company Genentech convened a summit of patients four years ago to discuss the value of their participation in clinical trials, it came up empty for one group of people.

“We could not find one patient of color that had participated in our research to be able to speak at this summit,” recalls Quita Beeler Highsmith, MBA, who was then working on patient alliances and advocacy relations at Genentech, headquartered in South San Francisco. She wondered why and discovered that few Black patients had participated in the trial, which is typical. Black patients account for . . .