Inclusion of women in AIDS clinical research: a political and legal analysis.

Thirteen years into a devastating epidemic that is having a serious impact on women of color, we are only a few steps closer to genuine participation by women in AIDS clinical trials. Those who depend most heavily on research settings not only for the promise of an accessible cure, but also for life-prolonging therapies and state-of-the-art medical care are hurt most by exclusionary policies. Restrictive and contradictory federal policies, pharmaceutical company reluctance to complete animal toxicology and reproductive studies, inadequate informed consent, and unfounded industry fear of liability all play a part in keeping women with AIDS from participating in clinical research.