Inclusion of older people in drug development and clinical trials: Part 1

As the global population ages, older people will increasingly become the main users of medication. Much work has already been done by regulatory authorities to review legislation, leading to the 2013 publication of the EMA’s Geriatric Medicines Strategy. It reported, however, that many clinical trials still did not include a representative number of older people – aged 65 and over – despite the drugs in development were most likely to be used by this cohort. This two-article series will analyse if the publication of ICH E7 Q&A influenced the number of older people included in clinical trials. Furthermore, a qualitative questionnaire assessed the extent to which clinical trials are designed to adequately represent older people. In part one, I will focus on the legislative framework governing drug development for older patients, and the sub-classifications of age groups.