“Did you know that in the past 30 years, only 2 drugs (!) have been developed specifically to treat pregnancy-related conditions?
GENDER-BIASED RESEARCH HAS CONSEQUENCES FOR WOMEN
Out of concern to protect women, pregnant women are under-represented in biomedical research. However, this has serious implications. Many of the 250 million women who experience pregnancy each year:
- are deprived of the best biomedical innovations
- do not have access to “fit for purpose” drugs
- live with uncertainty about potential adverse drug effects, or
- stop taking medications for pre-existing conditions due to concerns of harming their fetus.
THE LONG LEGACY OF GENDER-BIASED RESEARCH SUSTAINS HEALTH INEQUITIES, not the least affecting women in low-and- middle-income countries. There needs to be a discussion about including pregnant women in clinical trials – with appropriate safeguards – and about providing women with opportunities to make informed and autonomous decisions about participating in research that can lead to improved maternal health.
In light of the International Women’s Day, Concept Foundation and partners invites you to a webinar on the 5 March, under the umbrella of the Accelerating Innovation for Mothers (AIM) project. We will highlight the barriers and facilitators to the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials, and discuss how stakeholders together can tackle the gender inequity in access to scientific advances.”