Older people are wrongly excluded from drug trials

Age discrimination exists in many aspects of elderly people's health care, a conference in London heard last week. Peter Crome, professor of geriatric medicine at Keele University and president elect of the British Geriatrics Society, was speaking at a conference on medication for frail older people organised by CCC, a group representing commercial, charitable, and public service organisations in London.

“The [National Service Framework] for older people is clearly against discrimination on the grounds of age, but there are many examples which show a different reality.” Professor Crome explained. The common imposition of upper age limits for clinical trials was an important form of discrimination, he …