Washington Revised Code Title 69. Food, Drugs, Cosmetics, and Poisons § 69.78.010. Finding--Policy

(1) The legislature finds that controlled clinical trials provide a critical base of evidence for evaluating whether a medical product is safe and effective before the product is approved for marketing. The United States food and drug administration has evaluated demographic profiles of people participating in clinical trials for approved drugs and found that some groups, especially ethnic and racial groups, are not always well represented in clinical trials. Diversity in clinical trials is necessary to effectively determine how race, gender, and age impact how a person metabolizes a drug. Communities of color have been working diligently to establish a foundation of trust with government and clinical research with the goal of engaging more trial participants who are members of underrepresented demographic groups. Joining clinical trials is a difficult and complex process and the lack of trust and awareness of clinical trials and research, in addition to burdens related to transportation, geography, and access, limit trial participants. The lack of diversity in clinical trials compounds access to treatment disparities and limits our understanding of the impacts of studied interventions and conditions across the population.

(2) Therefore, it is the policy of the state to: