New effort to include older people in medical research

Charities warn that age cutoffs exclude seniors from trials, risking less effective treatments for a growing patient group.

UK Excludes Older People From Medical Research

More than 40 charities and major funders say people over 75 are routinely kept out of health research because of strict age limits. They point to concerns about frailty, doubts that age might affect a drug or device, and the burden of frequent testing visits. Dementia research is cited as a stark example, with only about one in ten people with the disease invited to participate.

Government and funders say the gaps are scientific and ethical problems. The National Institute for Health Research, Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and the Medical Research Council urge trials to adapt so older adults can join, through design changes and better accessibility. Health Minister Karin Smyth notes the priority of including older people as part of a ten year health plan to turbocharge research and clinical trials, including a UK wide recruitment drive.

The debate centers on balancing speed and rigor with equity. Excluding older adults can bias results and make care less effective for the people who need it most. Trials that rely on younger, healthier volunteers risk producing evidence that does not match real world patients who have multiple health conditions. Yet expanding eligibility requires resources, new protocols, and flexible sites. The solution is to redesign trials to accommodate frailty, provide remote or local testing, and use real world data alongside traditional methods. If research becomes more inclusive, the NHS and researchers could gain more reliable guidance for aging populations.

Highlights

Inclusive research is more than a policy goal; it is a practical obligation to align science with the people it serves.