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Women, minority groups concerned over 'comparative effectiveness'

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Women and minorities are up in arms over how some of the money in the recently signed economic stimulus package will be used. According to the Kaiser Network, and first reported by The New York Times, $1.1 billion will be set aside to compare the effectiveness of various treatments on the same disease. The money would be made available through the Department of Health and Human Services, and could be spent over a time period of several years. 

The problem, according to some women and minority groups, is that both parties aren't necessarily always fairly represented during clinical trials of certain treatments. Because different treatments affect different people in different ways, the groups are arguing that results for their constituents have a greater likelihood of being overlooked. 

According to The Times, congressional lawmakers have tried to add language ensuring that women and minorities would be fairly represented in all research financed by the federal government. 

For more:
- read this article from KaiserNetwork.org

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It is surprising that those who are against CE studies fall into two groups. The manufacturers whose products are simply "me too" making something similar and yet cheaper, but they want to reap the same reimbursement for huge profits. The "disenfranchised" which seems to be just about everyone other than white males these days who are now arguing that the CE studies will unfairly exclude products from consideration that are specifically beneficial to their special group.

It is widely known that minorities, Medicare eligible, and women are the three most underrepresented groups in clinical studies. You can throw children in as well although that blame can be equally distributed.

If women and minorities wish to see the CE studies done fairly and with consideration to their special needs they need to start the battle cry to get their members to participate in clinical trials. It is 2009 and time for minorities especially to stop using the "I don't trust them" speech to explain why they don't want to participate in trials.

Fine, don't participate, but then don't expect companies to have products that will meet your needs. You can't have it both ways.

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