Acclinate-HCN Deal Boosts Clinical Research Diversity
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Acclinate and HCN Global have launched a strategic partnership to improve clinical research access and representation for Hispanic and Latino communities. This collaboration leverages Acclinate's NOWINCLUDED platform and HCN Global's established networks to address underrepresentation in clinical trials.
Acclinate and HCN Global unveiled a May 29, 2026 strategic partnership to expand clinical research diversity for Hispanic, Latino, and Black communities. The deal pairs Acclinate’s NOWINCLUDED digital platform with HCN Global’s community networks and e-DICT tooling so sponsors can measure engagement and plan enrollment more predictably.
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Key Takeaways
- Announcement date: May 29, 2026 (Birmingham, Ala.), via PR Newswire.
- Scale claimed: NOWINCLUDED 250,000+ members; HCN Global networks 290,000+ individuals.
- HCN Global is a licensed e-DICT user with API links and Acclinate’s Participation Probability Index.
- Sponsor reach is framed across 35+ therapeutic areas; independent enrollment outcomes are not yet published.
What did Acclinate and HCN Global announce in May 2026?
The companies described a research-ready alliance that bridges multicultural health engagement networks. Acclinate contributes NOWINCLUDED. HCN Global contributes La Red Hispana, LatinEQUIS, and Melanin Thriving.
According to the May 29, 2026 PR Newswire release, the partnership is already operational rather than a letter of intent. Del Smith, CEO of Acclinate, framed the alliance as a way to close gaps where the path to trial participation often breaks down for underrepresented patients.
How does e-DICT and the Participation Probability Index work here?
HCN Global is now a licensed user of Acclinate’s e-DICT platform. API integrations sit across HCN-owned channels so life sciences and public health partners can track engagement and trust-building activity.
Sponsors can also apply Acclinate’s patented Participation Probability Index to estimate clinical trial readiness across the combined audiences. The firms say the model supports mobilization across more than 35 therapeutic areas.
What enrollment gap is the partnership trying to close?
U.S. trial demographics still skew away from Hispanic and Latino populations relative to census share. That gap weakens how well pivotal data map to real-world patients.
A large cohort analysis in PMC9302767 found median Hispanic/Latino enrollment of about 6.0% among U.S. trials that reported race and ethnicity results, versus higher census representation. Only 43% of 20,692 U.S. trials with results reported any race/ethnicity data.
How do FDA Diversity Action Plans raise the bar for sponsors?
FDORA directed FDA to require Diversity Action Plans for certain studies, including many phase 3 drug trials. FDA published draft guidance in June 2024 on plan form, content, timing, and waiver criteria.
The FDA Diversity Action Plans guidance page states the statutory submission clock starts after final guidance issues. Even before that clock, many sponsors already file voluntary diversity plans.
What concrete operating claims should buyers verify?
- Member counts: 250,000+ (NOWINCLUDED) and 290,000+ (HCN networks) as of the May 29, 2026 release.
- Tooling: licensed e-DICT access plus API integrations on HCN channels.
- Coverage claim: support across 35+ therapeutic areas.
- Spanish-language community space inside NOWINCLUDED is described as a planned build, not a completed enrollment result.
Procurement teams should ask for audited channel metrics, therapeutic-area heat maps, and prior campaign conversion rates before treating platform size as enrollment capacity.
What remains unproven after the announcement?
The press materials do not publish randomized enrollment lifts, screen-fail reductions, or cost-per-randomized-patient figures. They also do not disclose multi-year retention rates for Spanish-language community members.
Until sponsors see campaign-level dashboards tied to protocol NCT IDs, the partnership should be treated as infrastructure plus intent—not as proven diversity outcomes.
Business development teams should also separate brand reach from protocol-fit. A large multicultural audience does not automatically match inclusion criteria, visit burden, or biomarker requirements for a given study. Ask for historical screen-to-randomization ratios by race and ethnicity before locking a master service agreement on clinical research diversity campaigns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Acclinate and HCN Global announce?
On May 29, 2026, Acclinate and HCN Global unveiled a strategic partnership that combines Acclinate’s NOWINCLUDED platform (250,000+ members) with HCN Global’s La Red Hispana, LatinEQUIS, and Melanin Thriving networks (290,000+ individuals) to support clinical research diversity.
How does the partnership help clinical trial sponsors?
HCN Global is a licensed user of Acclinate’s e-DICT platform with API integrations across HCN channels, so sponsors can track engagement and use Acclinate’s Participation Probability Index across more than 35 therapeutic areas.
Why does Hispanic and Latino trial enrollment matter to FDA strategy?
Peer-reviewed data show Hispanic/Latino median enrollment around 6% in U.S. trials that report race and ethnicity, below census share. FDA’s June 2024 Diversity Action Plans draft guidance asks sponsors to set enrollment goals and tactics for underrepresented groups.
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