Experts Identified Funding Gaps in Women's Health
Conference attendees highlighted systemic barriers to health equity and clinical trial diversity in London.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Women’s Health
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Experts gathered at the Women's Health Week Europe conference to address significant funding gaps and data discrepancies hindering health equity. Attendees noted that investment in women-focused health companies remains notably low compared to the broader healthcare market.
Why it matters
Systemic data gaps and a lack of women in financial decision-making roles currently limit necessary research development. Investing in this sector is projected to yield substantial economic returns, with the World Economic Forum estimating three dollars of benefit for every dollar invested.
Private healthcare investment specifically for women's health reached less than 1% of the total between 2020 and 2025. Additionally, 72% of clinical trials still do not aggregate outcomes based on sex, despite women experiencing more drug-related adverse events.
The players
World Economic Forum
This international non-governmental organization is known for its annual meeting in Davos and its ongoing research regarding economic growth and global development.
Women's Health Week Europe
This annual conference serves as a central platform for experts, researchers, and financiers to address disparities in women's healthcare and medical research.
The details
Companies are increasingly pursuing alternative financing methods like grants and debt funding to bypass traditional investment hurdles. Improving drug safety and health outcomes requires sponsors to integrate sex disaggregation into all clinical trial analysis, helping to correct long-standing medical research biases.
Timeline
Private healthcare investment in women's health remained below 1% from 2020 to 2025.
Europe achieved record funding levels for women's health throughout 2025.
The Women's Health Week Europe conference took place from 7 to 8 October 2026.
The Big Picture
This story follows the findings established by the World Economic Forum's Women's Health economic benefit projection. The conference findings confirm and echo the World Economic Forum's assessment regarding the economic multiplier effect of targeted health investment.
The push for sex-disaggregated clinical trial data aims to provide patients with clearer information regarding drug safety and potential treatment side effects. These efforts may eventually lead to medical treatments that are more specifically tailored to women's physiological responses.
The takeaway
Closing the investment and data gap is essential to improving clinical outcomes for women. Stakeholders are encouraged to track clinical trial diversity metrics and prioritize investments that support sex-specific health research.
Further reading
For more background on ongoing research, visit the Women’s Health section.
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Do you trust that current medical research adequately accounts for safety differences between men and women?
