Clinical trials are an essential part of the drug development process globally.

We know that diseases affect people differently. This heterogeneity of disease can also impact how a patient responds to medicines. We need to use science-based approaches to identify the patient populations that are most likely to benefit from an investigational medicine. For some diseases, the people we most need to study may be the very ones that have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials.

One of the biggest obstacles to the successful completion of clinical trials is finding volunteers to participate in the research. There are many barriers to increasing participation in clinical trials; however, a key barrier is a general lack of awareness and misunderstanding about the clinical trial process.

All people, regardless of their background, should have access to helpful information about clinical trials and should have the opportunity to determine if participating in a clinical trial is the right choice for them.

Learn more about this campaign on http://www.joinimin.org.