More than 100 organizations representing millions of patients with serious health conditions and health-care professionals sent a letter to Congress expressing their strong support for the Clinical Trial Modernization Act. Introduced in the House of Representatives in May 2025 by Reps. Raul Ruiz (D–CA) and August Pfluger (R–FL), the bipartisan legislation would help remove cost and geographic barriers to patient participation in clinical trials.
Clinical trials are key to advancing new standards of care that can improve survival and quality of life for people with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Yet out-of-pocket costs associated with trial participation are often a barrier to enrollment. Length and frequency of travel to clinical trial sites are also commonly cited as obstacles to clinical trial participation.
Moreover, despite an increased burden of disease and an equal willingness to participate, some groups are underrepresented in clinical trials, including older adults, people who live in rural areas, certain racial and ethnic groups, and people with limited incomes.
Provisions in the Clinical Trial Modernization Act would enable clinical trial sponsors to provide financial support to patients for costs associated with their trial participation, including medical expenses like copays and nonmedical expenses such as travel, parking, food, and lodging. The provisions in the bill would also allow trial sponsors to provide patients with the technology needed to facilitate remote participation in clinical trials. These and other provisions would help ensure that all patients are able to participate in clinical trials.
In an excerpt from the full letter, the authors noted: “Studies have shown that offering to reimburse patients for nonmedical costs associated with trials can increase overall enrollment and may also increase participation from underrepresented groups. For these reasons, we are excited by the introduction of the Clinical Trial Modernization Act, which would make it easier for people to participate in clinical trials by reducing barriers they currently face. These important provisions are key to increasing clinical trial participation and, thereby, driving innovation and the development of new treatments. This benefits not only trial participants, but all of us.”
