Walgreens announced today that it launched its clinical trial business to redefine patient experience and increase access in retention.
The company designed its flexible clinical trial model to combine its foundation of patient insights, partner-enabled health and technology capabilities and in-person and virtual care options with an aim to break through barriers to engaging broader and more diverse communities.
According to a news release, the introduction of Walgreens clinical trial offerings coincides with a recent push by the FDA to increase racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials.
Walgreens will use its patient reach and access to pharmacy and patient-authorized clinical data to proactively match diverse patient populations to trials across a range of disease areas based on race, gender, socioeconomic status and location. The company will also address access barriers through a compliant, validated and secure decentralized clinical trial platform.
Additionally, Walgreens said it can use its real-world insights to support trial sponsors’ development strategies, inform trial designs, optimize execution and improve diversity.
“Walgreens trusted community presence across the nation, combined with our enterprise-wide data and health capabilities, enables us to pioneer a comprehensive solution that makes health options, including clinical trials, more accessible, convenient and equitable,” Walgreens Chief Clinical Trials Officer Ramita Tandon said in the release. “Through the launch of our clinical trials services, we can provide another offering for patients with complex or chronic conditions in their care journey, while helping sponsors advance treatment options for the diverse communities we serve. This is yet another way we are building our next growth engine of consumer-centric healthcare solutions.”
The company will partner with Pluto Health and its multi-layered, smart care coordination service designed to unify siloed health information from multiple places (such as medical records, social determinants of health, insurance claims and more) within 30 minutes. The Pluto Health team then evaluates patient health information with the recommended clinical care guidelines and social determinants of health data to identify and close any potential gaps in care.
“Pluto Health was co-created within the healthcare community to make the provision of care achievable and more equitable for more people with better care coordination,” Pluto Health co-founder and CEO Dr. Joy Bhosai said. “As a part of our primary goal to coordinate care and support patients on their terms, we are thrilled to play a part in making the latest medical advances more accessible. It’s time to accelerate healthcare access for all patients, from all walks of life, and from anywhere in the nation.”
