GOP Lawmakers Push FDA to Preserve Clinical Trial Diversity
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- HHS began purging all references to DEI from its agencies' websites days after Trump took office, targeting hiring practices, communications, and social issues.
- Clinical trial diversity policy got caught up in the Trump administration's broader DEI crackdown despite serving a distinct purpose, supporters say.
- GOP lawmakers are pushing the FDA to separate clinical trial diversity from the DEI rollback, arguing the two are fundamentally different.
- Clinical trial diversity supporters contend the policy ensures trials enroll people similar to patients who would actually use the tested drugs and medical devices.
- The FDA is the agency being pressed to clarify that clinical trial enrollment requirements are not DEI in the traditional sense.
Why it matters: If clinical trial diversity requirements are stripped away alongside DEI policies, drugs and medical devices could reach approval based on trial populations that don't reflect the patients who will use them — undermining efficacy and safety data for communities already underrepresented in research.
