Bristol Myers Squibb Launches Disability Diversity in Clinical Trials (DDiCT) Initiative to Improve Healthcare Outcomes for People with Disabilities
July 20 2022 - 6:59AM
Business Wire
Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) today announced, in
collaboration with Disability Solutions, a U.S.- based non-profit
organization that supports companies globally to achieve true
disability inclusion, the launch of the Disability Diversity in
Clinical Trials (DDiCT) initiative. This new initiative aligns with
Bristol Myers Squibb’s broader inclusion and diversity health
equity commitments to address health disparities, clinical trial
diversity, supplier diversity, employee giving, and workforce
representation between 2020 and 2025.
The DDiCT initiative initially aims to make recommendations on
how to effectively improve access, engagement, speed of enrollment,
and participation of people with disabilities in clinical trials,
to ensure all patient groups are reflective of the real-world
population and aligned with the epidemiology of the disease
studies. This project was initiated by the Bristol Myers Squibb
People & Business Resource Group DAWN (Disability Advancement
Workplace Network) and will be co-led by DAWN and the Global Drug
Development Team.
"Through this work, Bristol Myers Squibb can set the standard
and stage for access to life-changing and life-saving medicines for
people with disabilities,” said Samit Hirawat, M.D., executive vice
president and chief medical officer, Global Drug Development,
Bristol Myers Squibb. “The long-term goal of our DDiCT program is
to develop and pilot trials that are accessible to the widest
variety of patients.”
Current common clinical trial practices exclude up to one-fourth
of the U.S. population-based on disability status. According to a
study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
in 338 phase III and IV studies, 12.4% of people with intellectual
or developmental disabilities and 1.8% of those with physical
disabilities failed to be included due to explicit exclusion
criteria. The study also identified that additional barriers for
disability diversity within clinical trials are caused by
inaccessible trial sites, medical equipment, and ableist biases
which deter this community from receiving potentially life-saving
treatments.
“People with disabilities are omitted from conversations about
diversity and inclusion, despite being the largest underrepresented
group in the world and the only underrepresented group anyone can
join at any given moment. Therefore, it’s essential that we broaden
the scope of medical trials and research,” said Tinamarie Duff,
DAWN Global People & Business Resource Group Lead, Bristol
Myers Squibb. “The launch of the DDiCT, especially during
Disability Pride Month, supports Bristol Myers Squibb’s overall
commitment to address every dimension of diversity, which means
making the most effective medicine to include people with
disabilities at all stages of access/trials.”
About Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose
mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines
that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more
information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or
follow us LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
About Disability Solutions
Disability Solutions is a division of Ability Beyond and works
directly with forward thinking and inclusive companies who have
identified the value of being inclusive of people with disabilities
in all facets of their organization. Disability Solutions works
with more than 60 companies globally to drive true disability
inclusion. Their motto is “Changing Minds and Changing Lives”.
Disability Solutions understands that when corporate leaders engage
with the value and humanity the disability community brings
forward, they will be able to drive life-changing – and in this
case – life-saving change which will echo across the world. You can
learn more about Disability Solutions at
www.disabilitytalent.org.
About Disability Solutions Parent Company: Ability Beyond, Inc.
is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to provide
health and human services to adults with disabilities throughout
Connecticut and Westchester County, NY. Founded more than 60 years
ago, Ability Beyond has its headquarters in Bethel, CT, and
Chappaqua, NY. Ability Beyond employs 1,200 people and has an
annual budget of $71,000,000. Jane Davis, President/CEO, and her
Executive Team manage the agency, with oversight from the Ability
Beyond Board of Directors. Major revenue sources include Medicaid,
Medicare, government contracts, fees for service, and philanthropic
support. You can learn more about Ability Beyond at
www.abilitybeyond.org.
For press inquiries related to Disability Solutions or Ability
Beyond, please contact Julie Sowash, Executive Director of
Disability Solutions at Julie.Sowash@DisabilityTalent.org.
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