Zacharoula Sidiropoulou: Are the Treatments We Prescribe to Our Most Vulnerable Patients Actually Tested On Them?

Zacharoula Sidiropoulou, Senior Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist at Hospital São Francisco Xavier, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“It was yesterday
International Clinical Trials Day
First RCT, James Lind on May 20, 1747

Though:

• Despite representing 42% of all cancer patients, adults over 70 make up only 24% of participants in FDA-registered trials. This exclusion persists across healthcare, with older adults using most prescription medications yet comprising only 25-40% of clinical trial participants.

• Research shows 27% of current trials still use arbitrary age cutoffs that cannot be justified by science.

• FDA recommends against upper age limits unless clearly necessary for safety, emphasizing that pharmaceutical companies should include patients over 75 and evaluate medication differences in older populations.

Main question : are the treatments we prescribe to our most vulnerable patients actually tested on them?

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