American Kidney Fund Announces Support from GSK to Expand Awareness for Underrepresented Community Participation in Clinical Trials

ROCKVILLE, Md. (November 4, 2021) — The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced that GSK has provided continued support to expand upon AKF's efforts to increase participation of underrepresented communities in clinical trials.

With GSK's support, AKF will further enhance its clinical trials educational materials, including providing translations for new and existing content for Spanish-speaking audiences. This renewed effort will also include a video series, featuring Black and Hispanic kidney patients discussing their personal experiences as participants in clinical trials.

"People of color, particularly Black and Hispanic individuals, continue to be underrepresented in clinical trial research studies for a number of reasons, which ultimately impacts research outcomes and the ability to uncover new options for patients," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. "With GSK's funding, it is our hope that we can help people of color in their decision-making process when considering signing up for a clinical trial, as well as in speaking with their doctors about how they can be active participants in improving their own health and the future health of others."

GSK's funding is a continuation of the support it has provided since 2019 to help AKF build a clinical trials awareness campaign, which supports AKF's broader strategy of addressing disparities and improving health equity in kidney disease care.

"As part of our commitment to inclusion and diversity at GSK, we are ensuring that underrepresented patient populations are well represented in our clinical trials to make certain that our medications are safe and effective in a variety of patient groups," said Precil Varghese, GSK Senior Medical Lead, Specialty and Pipeline. "We are proud to support AKF in its mission of educating the kidney disease community and historically underserved communities to help prevent and manage kidney disease."