Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1521797
Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) states that food allergy is a potentially life-threatening disease, a_ecting approximately 33 million people in the US. The non-profit organization End Allergies Together (EAT) indicates that food allergy affects approximately 220 million people globally. 38 June 2024 Inhalation BACK PAGE Why are disproportionately impacted communities underrepresented in food allergy clinical trials? Food allergy's disproportionate impacts on Blacks and Hispanic/Latinos Food Allergy Research & Educa- tion (FARE) states that food allergy is a potentially life-threatening disease, affecting approximately 33 million people in the US. e non-profit organization End Aller- gies Together (EAT) indicates that food allergy affects approximately 220 million people globally. In a PhRMA blog post, Anita Roach, MS, FARE Vice President of Health Equity and Commu- nity Engagement, explained that "studies have revealed differences in food allergy outcomes that dis- proportionately impact Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, as well as households with lower incomes. ose disparities include underdiagnosis, greater risk of severe allergic reaction, subse- quent hospitalization and death, and underrepresentation in food allergy clinical trials." Further, FARE notes that "Black Ameri- cans are significantly more likely than White Americans to have food allergy and points out that finding allergy-safe foods is costly and challenging for low-income, marginalized families living in food deserts." FARE's commitment to diversity FARE is the world's largest funder of food allergy research, as well as the largest United States non- profit organization that focuses on food allergy advocacy. Its work includes supporting patients who live with food allergies, sponsor- ing research and innovation, and pursuing multiple awareness and advocacy initiatives. FARE is also "committed to reducing health inequities in food allergy, including access to research and specialized care," according to Roach. In her blog post, she wrote that in 2021, FARE launched its Health Equity portfolio that includes the FARE Community Access Program (CAP), "a sig- nature initiative [under] which FARE works in partnership with local and national organizations to align common goals to enable greater impact." Clinical trial diversity initiatives from other organizations Also during that time, Roach con- tinued, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "ramped up efforts around inclu- sion in clinical trials. In 2022, [the] FDA issued a new draft guidance to industry for develop- ing diversity plans to encourage enrollment of more participants from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations into clinical trials." In addition, she explained that "the United States Depart- ment of Health and Human Ser- vices (HHS) Diversity in Clinical Trials Initiative addresses barri- ers preventing diverse groups from participating in clinical tri- als and includes public education and outreach campaigns." Fur- ther, "industry-wide efforts such as PhRMA's voluntary principles to enhance clinical trial diversity, and their grant to fund 'Equi- table Breakthroughs in Medi- cine Development,' highlight the importance of community-based infrastructure to improve access to clinical trials for those in histori- cally marginalized communities who want to participate."