Although the elderly are often considered ineligible for clinical trials, experts in a recent article from Outsourcing-pharma.com are saying the age group “must be taken into consideration more often during research.” Clinical trials are intended to be representative of real patient populations, and in order for that to occur, medicines need to be tested in older age ranges.
Experts encourage the elderly to be included in clinical trials, but there are several setbacks to this goal as stated by Manfred Gogol, “a geriatrician and former president of the German Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics.” Gogol shares “that social components could prevent complete accuracy and that needs to be taken into consideration.” Despite the setbacks, Gogol encourages further research involving geriatric populations.
To read more about what Gogol had to say and further your knowledge on the elderly’s participation in clinical trials, click here.