The female factor in clinical trials
The European Parliament will discuss a non-binding report that calls for medicine labels to state whether the drugs were specifically tested in women and whether men and women may face different side effects.
The report, drafted by the Spanish MEP Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, asks the European Commission and EU countries to run campaigns raising women’s awareness about the importance of participating in clinical trials.
Women’s involvement in clinical trials has been historically low compared to men, and patient or public health advocates say some drugs’ effects on women aren’t fully known, given that they were tested mainly on men.
Becerra Basterrechea’s report also looks at gender equality in providing mental health care, given that there are differences in the type of mental health issues women experience and the way they respond to them.