A recent review examined the current state of women’s participation in heart failure trials. The review found that even with four decades of growth in HF research, women’s representation in clinical trials doesn’t match their prevalence in the HF patient population. In the US, nearly 50% of adults with HF are women. However, their representation in trials has seen minimal change over 30 years. Factors like older age at the time of enrollment, government-funded trials, and female trial leadership are linked to higher participation of women, but these links warrant further research. The concluding data showed that challenges based on gender and sex persist, necessitating targeted solutions both within trials and at the patient level, with collaborative efforts spanning federal, academic, community, and industry sectors being essential to bridge these disparities.

Reference: Reza N, Gruen J, Bozkurt B. Representation of women in heart failure clinical trials: Barriers to enrollment and strategies to close the gap. Am Heart J Plus. 2022 Jan;13:100093. doi: 10.1016/j.ahjo.2022.100093. Epub 2022 Jan 30. PMID: 35243454; PMCID: PMC8890694.