Leading health charities and research institutes have raised concerns that people aged over 75 are being excluded from medical research in the UK due to arbitrary age restrictions.
They warn that this exclusion could delay the development of life-saving treatments and contribute to growing health inequalities.
More than 40 organisations, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, and the Medical Research Council, have called for an end to age cut-offs in clinical studies. They argue that excluding a demographic with the highest levels of illness means research often fails to represent those who would benefit most from new treatments.
This issue is particularly evident in dementia research, where only one in ten people living with the disease are offered the opportunity to take part in studies. Limited participation is seen as one of the greatest barriers to progress in finding effective treatments for dementia.
Experts, including Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, have highlighted the scientific and ethical problems caused by excluding older adults from research.
They warn that such practices lead to gaps in evidence, less effective treatments, and healthcare that is not fully tailored to those with the greatest needs. With the UK’s population ageing rapidly, ensuring research reflects the people it aims to serve is increasingly urgent.
Age restrictions are sometimes imposed due to concerns about frailty, multiple health conditions, or the belief that older participants could distort results. In other cases, studies are not designed to accommodate older participants, with requirements such as frequent travel to testing centres posing additional barriers.
The NIHR has described the low participation of older adults in research as both a scientific and ethical concern, pointing out that treatments tested predominantly on younger, healthier people may not work as effectively for older patients. This not only risks inefficiency but could also result in misleading outcomes.
The UK government has acknowledged the problem, noting that while older people are more likely to live with long-term health conditions such as cancer and dementia, only around one in seven participants in major medical studies are over 75.
Through its 10-year health plan, the government aims to increase inclusivity in research, with the NIHR launching a nationwide recruitment drive to encourage greater participation from older adults.
