Analysis of eligibility criteria in Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trials

Alexandra K. Mitchell, Rebecca Ehrenkranz, Sanne Franzen, Sae H. Han, Mujaahida Shakur, Melissa McGowan, Holly A. Massett*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Overly restrictive clinical trial eligibility criteria can reduce generalizability, slow enrollment, and disproportionately exclude historically underrepresented populations. The eligibility criteria for 196 Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) trials funded by the National Institute on Aging were analyzed to identify common criteria and their potential to disproportionately exclude participants by race/ethnicity. The trials were categorized by type (48 Phase I/II pharmacological, 7 Phase III/IV pharmacological, 128 non-pharmacological, 7 diagnostic, and 6 neuropsychiatric) and target population (51 AD/ADRD, 58 Mild Cognitive Impairment, 25 at-risk, and 62 cognitively normal). Eligibility criteria were coded into the following categories: Medical, Neurologic, Psychiatric, and Procedural. A literature search was conducted to describe the prevalence of disparities for eligibility criteria for African Americans/Black (AA/B), Hispanic/Latino (H/L), American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) populations. The trials had a median of 15 criteria. The most frequent criterion were age cutoffs (87% of trials), specified neurologic (65%), and psychiatric disorders (61%). Underrepresented groups could be disproportionately excluded by 16 eligibility categories; 42% of trials specified English-speakers only in their criteria. Most trials (82%) contain poorly operationalized criteria (i.e., criteria not well defined that can have multiple interpretations/means of implementation) and criteria that may reduce racial/ethnic enrollment diversity.

Original languageEnglish
Article number15036
JournalScientific Reports
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2024

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© This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2024.

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