[ad_1]
By partnering with drug manufacturers to connect customers to clinical trials, the retail pharmacy chain believes this innovation will be the company’s ‘next growth engine’
Walgreens is launching a business to connect customers to clinical drug trials, a venture that adds another offering to the retail pharmacy giant’s list of health care services. This new work could mean additional test orders for clinical laboratories and pathology teams in areas serving Walgreens customers.
In “Walgreens Wants 1,000 Primary Care Clinics By 2027”. Dark everyday sister publication, The report of the darknessIt was reported on Walgreens’ goal of building 1,000 primary care clinics at retail pharmacies by 2027, a move similar to CVS Pharmacy’s MinuteClinic and Walmart Health’s primary care clinics at their retail locations.
Now, Walgreens is partnering with pharmaceutical companies to better understand the patient experience in finding participants for clinical trials, a business that could result in more Americans from underrepresented races and ethnicities being enrolled in drug-development trials. With 9,021 retail pharmacies in all 50 states, it is well positioned to identify which of its customers are candidates for various clinical trials.
Ramita Tandon, Walgreens “Walgreens’ trusted community presence, combined with our company-wide data and health capabilities, allows us to pioneer comprehensive solutions that make health options, including clinical trials, more accessible, convenient and equitable.” Chief Clinical Trials Officer in a press release.
Serving the socially disadvantaged
In an interview with Powerful health careTandon described the clinical trials business as Walgreens’ “continuing growth engine” for consumer-focused healthcare solutions.
According to the company’s press release, “Walgreens is addressing barriers to access through a compliant, validated and secure decentralized clinical trial platform built on a robust compliance and regulatory framework to ensure patient privacy and safety.” This approach leverages owned and partnered digital and physical properties, including the Health Corner and Village Medicine at Walgreens locations, to engage patients directly and in-person at home.
Walgreens says more than half of its 9,000 U.S. stores are in “socially disadvantaged areas.”
As of 2010 Washington detectiveA US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study found that 75% of patients participating in clinical trials were white, while only 11% were Hispanic and less than 10% were Asian or black. In addition, participation in clinical trials has been declining, with 80% of trials failing to attract enough participants in time.
Tandon says that simplifying the process of participating in clinical trials is another key to increasing diversity and participation in clinical trials.
“During clinical trial travel, we know that visiting sites can be a burden for patients. We also know that 78% of patients in America live within five miles of a Walgreens. PharmaVoice. “If a patient can complete most of the face-to-face clinical trial requirements at a local Walgreens or complete certain visits digitally, it will make the overall clinical trial more positive and likely encourage patient participation. New clinical trials will continue.”
Walgreens plans to use its treasure trove of customer data to find potential patients for its pilot business.
“Understanding this customer preference and segmentation can be particularly useful in clinical trials, for example to create better protocols,” Tandon said. PharmaVoice. We’re sitting on a lot of data, but we can and need to do a better job using these insights in real-world settings, which can translate to pharma R/D or brand management organizations. We are all about patient-centered drug development.
FDA requires diversity in clinical trials
Walgreens is in discussions with several drug manufacturers as it tries to launch this new venture.
“We are working closely with them to understand their business needs and create a solution that fits their specific testing needs,” Tandon said. Powerful health care. “Our goal is to move that needle and start seeing more American patients coming into clinical trials, and more diverse participants.”
In April, an FDA press release announced new draft guidance aimed at “developing plans to enroll more participants in clinical trials from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations in the US.”
“Despite their disproportionate burden of certain diseases, racial and ethnic minorities are frequently underrepresented in biomedical research,” the FDA said. “Clinical trials provide critical evidence for evaluating whether a medical product is safe and effective; therefore, enrollment in clinical trials must reflect the diversity of the population that will ultimately use the treatment.”
Distribution of retail pharmacies
“Walgreens has a tremendous opportunity to create a connected healthcare ecosystem where we can leverage Walgreens’ physical assets and connect with patients and consumers at the local level to better support healthcare and healthcare equity,” said Tandon. PharmaVoice.
This is the latest example of a billion-dollar retail pharmacy chain moving away from simply filling prescriptions. Two types of competitors are driving the fragmentation of retail pharmacies because they end up driving patients away from the pharmacy:
- Amazon.com has acquired PillPack and is now sending prescriptions to patients by mail.
- Pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies encourage patients to pick up 90 days worth of prescriptions at a time, mailed to their homes.
In both cases, retail pharmacies lose access to patients. This is what motivates many local pharmacy chains to offer primary care in their retail (after an office visit with a general practitioner, the patient simply walks across the store to the pharmacy to fill the prescription) as well as clinical trial related business.
As retail pharmacy chains become an increasingly disruptive force in healthcare, clinical laboratory managers and pathologists must be developing new strategies to meet the testing needs of a changing primary care delivery model.
–Andrea Downing Peck
Related information:
Walgreens launched a clinical trial business to address industry-wide access and diversity challenges and improve the patient experience.
Pharmacy retail giant Walgreens looks set to disrupt clinical trials business
By 2027, Walgreens wants 1,000 primary care clinics
FDA takes important steps to increase racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials
Walgreens launches first clinical trial for ‘fair’ health options
With its wealth of patient data, Walgreens is looking to disrupt the clinical trial space
[ad_2]
Source link
