Race, ethnic and socioeconomic influences on clinical pharmacology. A reflection from the IUPHAR World Smart Medication Day 2026

Pharmacological Research 232 (2026) 108400
Available online 20 August 2026

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2026.108400

Keywords

Racial and ethnic disparities
Health insurance and prescribing
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
Genetic variability
Real-world evidence
Education

1. Introduction

The International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) organizes World Smart Medication Day (WSMD) to promote pharmacology, with an annual webinar and poster competition aimed at students and early-career researchers, all centred on a specific theme. The competition includes general and research categories and, for the first time this year, an international collaboration category was also included. The initiative seeks to foster smarter use of medications, in alignment with the World Health Organization’s Global Patient Safety Challenge, “Medication Without Harm,” while also enabling international collaboration. Over the five past years since this competition launched, it has successfully addressed several important topics, including safer use of medicines in polypharmacy and chronicity, clinical pharmacology in the era of pandemics, pharmacogenomics and precision medicine, the use of medicines at the extremes of age, and sex- and gender differences in clinical pharmacology [1,2].

The 2026 IUPHAR World Smart Medication Day, organized by the Medical and Clinical Pharmacology Committee of the Clinical and Translational Section of the IUPHAR, was held under the theme “Race, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Influences on Clinical Pharmacology.” The thematic learning sessions can be accessed on the IUPHAR website , and the winning posters in each competition category are presented in Fig. 1. This highly relevant topic addresses both biologic pharmacological considerations and the broader social determinants influencing health and access to healthcare. Racial and ethnic diversity encompasses biologic, social, economic, and cultural factors that shape prevention and treatment outcomes of medicines.

Key reasons for examining race, ethnic and socioeconomic influences on medication use and outcomes are to ensure representation in research and that the benefits and risks of medication are fairly and equitably applied in the community [3]. Ethnicity and race are ‘entangled concepts’ that vary across time and location. Therefore, studies using these variables are largely required to focus on equity within specific countries [3]. In contrast, socioeconomic influences are pervasive across all societies and countries. There are strong relationships between health outcomes and per capita income. In general, increasing wealth over time has translated to better health outcomes worldwide [4]. However, for a given level of wealth, substantial variation exists between countries in life expectancy and other health outcomes [4]. This reflects in part the extent to which fair and equitable processes are in place for delivering health services within countries. Real-world evidence research should comprehensively report health equity considerations to improve the evidence base on race, ethnic and socioeconomic influences in clinical pharmacology [5]. These data can help uncover disparities, improve reporting and inclusive recruitment, and identify the sources and consequences of health inequities, thereby improving health outcomes, treatment effectiveness, and equity in research and clinical practice.