Blueprint to Close the Women%E2%80%99s Health Gap 2025

The impact of that funding on improvements in breast cancer mortality over the past 30 years reflects the power of focus and investment. Research, education, activism and investment have led to huge gains overall – breast cancer mortality rates in the US, for example, decreased by 42% from 1989 to 2021.98 Even for breast cancer, the need for research funding persists. The increasing breast cancer burden in LMICS and LICs requires a fresh look at where research is conducted, whether the research in different geographical areas is completely transferrable and the areas of research that receive funding.99 Disaggregated data by funding type – such as research funding for basic science versus implementation science – are not available in the database and not covered in this analysis. This data is important given that substantial work remains to understand effective ways to address socioeconomic and racial disparities, including in HICs: for example, Black women in the US are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, despite the presence of life-saving and life- prolonging treatments in the country.100 Across countries of all income levels, research is needed that provides greater insights into the genetic, biological, social and environmental factors of the selected conditions and helps with understanding different clinical outcomes. Enhanced research may translate into novel therapies, reduced disease burden and greater economic benefit for families, communities and countries.101,102 2.2.2 More than three-quarters of clinical trials for the selected conditions are conducted in high-income countries Clinical trials can assess the effectiveness of new interventions, different ways to use existing interventions or other variables that could affect health. Reviewing what, how and where trials are conducted illustrates one measure of industry and academic priorities. The analysis carried out by the Forum and MHI looks at active clinical trials with women enrollees registered with clinicaltrials.gov between 1 June 2023 and 31 May 2024. Clinical trials for the selected conditions are not conducted in LICs and LMICs relative to the burden of those conditions in lower-income countries. The Forum and MHI analysis found that women and girls in LICs and LMICs experience 54% of the women’s health gap, yet 23% of clinical trials for the selected conditions focus on these regions. Upper-middle-income countries (UMICs) and HICs have 77% of clinical trials and only half of the global burden. While the evidence suggests that menopause symptoms may start earlier in women who live in LMICs,103 only 8% of the clinical trials identified for menopause are concentrated in LMICs. Similarly, 85% of cervical cancer cases arise in LICs or LMICs,104 yet only 9% of clinical trials for cervical cancer were conducted in these countries. Blueprint to Close the Women’s Health Gap: How to Improve Lives and Economies for All 20