Ageism Leaves Older Patients Out Of Important Clinical Trials For COVID-19, Says Harvard Researcher

The race to find new treatments for the coronavirus is heating up throughout the country, including here in Massachusetts, as vaccines and treatments progress into human trials.

But a recent review led by Harvard Medical School researchers shows elderly people are routinely excluded from COVID-19 treatment trials, even as 80% of COVID-related deaths occur in people over age 65.

Dr. Sharon Inouye, a geriatrician with Harvard Medical School and Hebrew SeniorLife who led that study, joined WBUR's Morning Edition to talk about how ageism is affecting COVID-19 treatments.