Women in Clinical Trials: History and Impact

Summary: For a long time, doctors didn't know how medicines affected women. Why? Because women were left out of clinical trials! In the 1960s, a drug called thalidomide caused severe birth defects. To protect women and babies, the FDA banned most women from early drug tests in 1977.

But this caused a huge problem. Medicines were only tested on men, which meant doctors didn't know if they were safe for women. Between 1997 and 2001, eight out of ten drugs taken off the market were removed because they were dangerous for women.

Thanks to female leaders in the 1990s, laws were passed to make sure women were included in research. Things are much better today, especially when female scientists lead the studies. However, there is still work to do. For example, very few COVID-19 studies looked at the differences between men and women. We need more women in clinical trials to make sure medicines are safe for everyone.

For more details, see Gastroenterology Advisor at cancertherapyadvisor.com/features/women-in-clinical-trials-history-impact/ (opens in new tab)

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