A study published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics points out that, compared to adults and younger children, adolescents are underrepresented in clinical trials. This is a serious issue because teens are often exposed to many of the drug marketing campaigns aimed at adults. Physical changes due to puberty, along with an increased risk of drug misuse or non-compliance, make it vital for clinical research be done in teens. However, the US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) found that only 5.4 percent of 9,500 HIV trial participants were adolescents. The numbers are even lower in cancer studies.

"Ethical research with adolescents should focus on two goals: protection from research risk and appropriate inclusion in clinical research that will improve our understanding of therapeutics," note the study authors.

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