Exclusion of women in research on addictions

2016/09/20 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Farmakologia
• Medikuntza
• Berdintasuna
• Etika

The last issue of the journal Addiction Biology reports that women are rejected in research on addictions. This is a special issue of the journal, coordinated by Carla Sanchis Segura of Jaume I University and Jill Becker of the University of Michigan, authors of the introductory article. The title of the article is significant: “Why we should consider sex (and analyze sexual differences) in the study of addictions” (Why we should consider sex (and study sex differences) in addiction research).

This article warns that biomedical research in general and that of addictions in particular is based on the biology of men, among other things, because the animals used in the preclinical study are males and those who participate in clinical sessions are males.

According to Sanchis, this generates large gaps, since half of the population is not studied, which prevents finding other therapeutic solutions. In addition, she recalled that the side effects of the drugs are more frequent in women than in men, since they are discarded in the sessions of the drugs, in which, in addition to the effectiveness of them, their safety is tested.

Sanchis and Becker have also analyzed the differences between women and men in the article. They point out that the most prominent differences are related to the reproductive system, such as sex hormones.

In the field of drug addictions, there is a greater propensity for men at the beginning of drug use due to the social variables associated with gender. However, the incidence of drugs is more pronounced in women, since by eliminating drugs they have a slower metabolism than in men. This causes women to have a higher risk of developing dependence and other clinical problems.

In any case, it should be noted that the participation of women in biomedical research would benefit the entire society, not just women.