SUGGESTED LEAD: The National Association of Lieutenant Governors is beginning a program to improve the results of clinical drug trials. The “Be The Cure” effort is designed to encourage Native Americans and other minority populations to take part in trials to prove effectiveness of prescription drugs.
The organization is beginning its “Be The Cure” program to point out the benefits of volunteering for clinical trials. South Dakota Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels is helping lead the program. He says it’s hard to point to one specific reason minority groups are under-represented in clinical trials.
Michels says, "You know, in South Dakota, I believe the Indian Health Service process is not necessarily conducive to clinical trials—the process is more immediate care, and I think I’ve seen that across the world. And in African-American, and even women, I think it’s a pure lack of knowledge collectively. So I can’t really point to it as one factor.”
Michels says the Lieutenant Governor’s Association is also working with drug companies to get their help in finding minority participants. More information is available at the organization’s website, http://www. nlga.us.