US-based pharmacy store chain Walgreens has partnered with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in an effort to increase innovation in decentralised clinical trials.
The collaboration is part of the Decentralized Clinical Operations for Healthcare and Research (D-COHRe) programme, which aims to enhance US clinical research capabilities.
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The D-COHRe initiative seeks to support the development of products regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), improve clinical innovation, and evaluate medical countermeasures in real-world settings for potential use during public health emergencies.
Walgreens’ partnership with BARDA will leverage the retailer’s clinical trial ecosystem, which the company claims has helped make clinical trials more accessible in the US.
Since its establishment in 2022, Walgreens’ ecosystem has engaged more than five million patients for potential recruitment into clinical trials.
Walgreens is also collaborating with BARDA on a Phase IV observational Covid-19 trial, which aims to bolster US public health preparedness using the retailer’s community pharmacy network.
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By GlobalDataWalgreens chief clinical trials officer Ramita Tandon said: “It is a privilege to continue our partnership with BARDA to strengthen clinical research in the US through a decentralised model in a community pharmacy setting like Walgreens.
“Our network of community pharmacies and our compliant and secure clinical trial platform enables us to pioneer a comprehensive solution to make clinical research an integral part of a patient’s healthcare journey, especially when it is most critical for the well-being of our country, during a public health emergency.”
Earlier this year, Boehringer Ingelheim and Walgreens partnered to optimise clinical trial recruitment and improve accessibility, inclusivity and equity.
The partnership aims to address barriers to clinical trial participation and achieve equitable health representation, particularly among Black and Hispanic communities in the US.
As part of this, some of Walgreens’ pharmacies have been used as clinical trial sites for individuals with obesity, overweight and type 2 diabetes.
