Walgreens gets $100 million clinical trial partnership in US

Walgreens said it has signed a $100 million partnership with the U.S. government for the drugstore giant to conduct clinical trials to support preparedness for future emergencies.

By partnering with Walgreens Over a five-year period beginning next month, the U.S. government will look for new ways to reach diverse populations and assist with future public health emergencies through the Decentralized clinical operations for healthcare and research program.

Clinical trials are typically conducted by major teaching hospitals, academic medical centers and other research centers, but the government program also aims to work with “organizations focused on delivering decentralized clinical care directly to where patients need it” , those involved. said in their Monday announcement. Walgreens partnership is with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

“It is a privilege to continue our partnership with BARDA to strengthen clinical research in the U.S. through a decentralized model in a community pharmacy setting like Walgreens,” said Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer at Walgreens. “Our network of community pharmacies and our compliant and secure clinical trial platform enable us to develop a comprehensive solution to make clinical research an integral part of a patient’s healthcare journey, especially when it is most critical to the well-being of our country , during a public health emergency.”

Walgreens, which has more than 8,000 store locations, launched a clinical trials company two years ago, hoping to increase racial and ethnic diversity for patients in drug trials. The $100 million from the federal government is a sign that the company is sustainable and growing.

Walgreen’s clinical trial efforts come as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Biden White House strive to improve drug research and patient health outcomes by involving more Americans from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations in U.S. clinical to research.

The FDA has recognized that racial and ethnic minorities are “often underrepresented in biomedical research.” the agency said two years ago Outlining the government’s steps to improve diversity in clinical trials, it is estimated that one in five medicines has different responses across ethnic groups, but most clinical trial participants are white.

As of June 2022, Walgreens executives say their clinical trials have proven effective in quickly and efficiently matching patients to clinical trials, ensuring traditionally underrepresented populations are an equal part of the detection, diagnosis and drug development process. To date, Walgreens has more than 35 clinical trial contracts with drugmakers and has reached more than 5 million patients to “potentially recruit for sponsor-led clinical research.”

“Nearly 80% of trials fail to reach their enrollment goals within deadlines, often contributing to billions of dollars in delays each year,” Walgreens said in a statement. “With only 5% of the US population participating in clinical trials, there is a clear need to increase access and representation in clinical research. Walgreens is also collaborating with BARDA on a Phase IV observational COVID-19 study to improve America’s public health preparedness through Walgreens’ community pharmacy network.”