BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

BMS’s Hirawat says health equity should be on all biopharmas’ agendas: a BioCentury audio interview

Working with minority communities and conveying clear goals for clinical trials are key for addressing racial disparities in healthcare, says CMO Samit Hirawat

September 9, 2020 12:35 AM UTC

BMS CMO Samit Hirawat believes that all biopharmas can, and should, contribute to eliminating racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes. The responsibility, he says, extends from working with minority communities directly to holding partners and contractors accountable for executing against the sponsors’ goals. 

In a BioCentury Back to School audio interview, Hirawat, who is  EVP, CMO, global drug development at Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY), expanded on the steps the pharma is taking towards increasing diversity in clinical trials, and how he thinks other companies can work to reduce disparities across racial and ethnic minority groups. The conversation was one of a series of interviews with key industry leaders for BioCentury’s 2020 Back to School package (see Cover Story:  “The Imperative of COVID-19”)...

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Bristol Myers Squibb Co.