A women’s rights organisation, Rebelle, organised an awareness campaign on Saturday at the Winter in Antwerp festival to advocate for improved representation of women in medical research.
During their action, Rebelle handed out a fictional “wonder pill” called Rebelline, accompanied by a brief explanation.
The pill, which is actually a colourful sweet, aims to highlight the underrepresentation of women in medical studies. Currently, medications are predominantly designed based on studies conducted on men, impacting dosage and effectiveness.
This has serious consequences, according to Rebelle. Women experience 50 to 60% more side effects than men and are hospitalised 33% more often due to severe reactions, said Sarah Tertyschnikow of Rebelle. She argues that as long as drug information is presented as universal but primarily tailored to men, women are exposed to unnecessary risks.
Since June, Rebelle has been running a campaign under the slogan “Not Tested on Women.” This includes awareness actions like the one in Antwerp and a letter-writing initiative.
In an open letter, Rebelle has made recommendations to policymakers, urging action to address these disparities.
The proposals include more funding for gender-specific medication research, treatment guidelines that account for different drug effects in men and women, and improved training for healthcare providers on gender-related health impacts.
