CASE STUDY: STRATEGY

Creating meaningful Diversity Action Plans

Challenge

A commercial-stage biotech focused on rare autoimmune disorders was lacking strategic engagement plans focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for every indication in its pipeline, as well as its commercially available product.

Solution

We began by building a pilot approach that communicated the importance of a diversity action plan (DAP) and the FDA’s expectation that all pivotal and phase 3 studies include such a plan. We then identified one indication in the pipeline that disproportionally impacted patients in underserved and underrepresented communities. This indication would become the case study to demonstrate how a DAP could be piloted in one program to demonstrate commitment, build trust, raise awareness in historically marginalized communities and drive interest and potential study enrollment.

Impact

Based on the success of the pilot program, DAPs have now been scaled to a majority of indications in the client‘s pipeline. Beyond the external benefits the DAP provided, this work has been valuable in helping to change the culture of the organization to be more inclusive in their thinking enterprise-wide, including hiring staff, making DAPs standard practice, and collaborating more fully and sustainably with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and DEI partners.