Unmet needs for people of color with psoriatic disease and new guidance for diversity within clinical trials

On February 6, 2025, the PsOPsA Hub held a Clinical Trial Club webinar on improving outcomes for people of color with chronic plaque psoriasis including scalp involvement​.

Here, we share the presentation by Paolo Gisondi, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, IT, which explored unmet needs for people of color with psoriatic disease and new guidance for diversity within clinical trials.

Key takeaways

• In the US and Canada, compared with patients who are White, patients of color are less likely to have access to a dermatologist and more likely to be hospitalized for psoriasis.¹ In addition, psoriasis may be more readily identified in people with lighter skin and misidentified in people with darker skin tones.¹
• Cultural differences can also influence treatment preferences, and there is therefore a need for culturally competent care.¹
• Underrepresentation of people of color with psoriasis in dermatology teaching and reference materials can impact the care received by these individuals.¹
• There is a lack of diversity in clinical trials, with people of color often underrepresented.² ​For example, non-White groups make up 40% of the US population;² however, in new drug trials, only 8% of participants were Black, 6% Asian, and 11% Hispanic.³
• As a consequence, data from clinical trials may not translate to optimal outcomes for people of color in real-world settings, and common psoriasis medications, including topical and systemic therapies, that are safe and effective for White patients may not be for people of color.²
• In 2024, the FDA released draft guidance titled “Diversity action plans to improve enrollment of participants from underrepresented populations in clinical studies.” The guidance aims to improve recruitment of people of color in clinical trials to advance treatment selection for different demographics, and emphasizes that participants in clinical trials should be representative of the patients who will use the medical products.⁴
• There are multiple methods to increase diversity in clinical research which could be implemented going forward (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Ways to increase diversity within clinical research* 

*Adapted from NHS England.⁵

This independent educational activity was supported by Johnson & Johnson. All content was developed independently by the faculty. The funder was allowed no influence on the content of this activity.