Can Drug Trial Volunteers Get The Drug After Approval? Depends Where You Live

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/06/11/ [login to see] /can-drug-trial-volunteers-get-the-drug-after-approval-depends-where-you-live
It can be genuinely thrilling when a new drug is approved for use in the U.S. It may be a big step forward in treating folks with, say, HIV or diabetes or breast cancer.

But sometimes the very people who took part in the trials to determine if the drug is effective and safe may not be able to benefit.

That's the conclusion of a new study published in JAMA Open Network.

The study looked at drug trials necessary to gain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The trials take place in the United States but in other countries as well — sometimes in countries classified as lower- and lower-middle income. It's cheaper to run trials there. And the potential test subjects can add to the diversity of the overall test population.

The study authors wanted to see if this international group of volunteers get access to the drug once it's approved.

They looked at FDA approvals of novel drugs made by large companies in the years 2012 and 2014, including drugs for infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, chronic conditions including diabetes, and cancers such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer.