CLINICAL OPERATIONS & OUTSOURCING


which gives access to millions of patients. CVS offers four capabilities: data-driven patient recruitment, trial delivery at 100 locations that follow all the same processes and training as traditional sites, home research services that deploy certified research nrses to patients homes, and real-world evidence capabilities. In an email response, Ramita Tandon,


algreenss chief clinical trials officer, says that active community engagement and education can improve access for patients who traditionally have been left out of clinical trials. With their entry into the clinical trial space, the company aims to boost patient enrolment, engagement and retention. Walgreens is investing in technology and


data solutions to offer clinical trials as a care option to their patients, even after the trial has ended. “Our goal is to take trial participants, even


after theyve finished their obligations, to a clinical trial and continue their care coordination as part of our commitment to last-mile enablement and closing care gaps,” Tandon says. In addition to the large physical footprint,


Walgreens is also going to be decentralised. The retail giant is planning to launch a decentralised clinical trial platform with the support of principal investigators and clinical research staff to facilitate clinical trials of all configrations, Tandon notes. CVS and Walgreens are not the only retail giants entering the clinical trial space. In October 2022, Walmart announced the launch of Walmart Healthcare Research Institute (WHRI) to increase community access to research. The latest new joiner is Kroger, which announced its clinical trial site network earlier this year.


Chain versus independent pharmacies While everyone is talking about big retail pharmacies, Gerald Finken, chief executive officer of , a digital health company focused on community-based clinical trials, says it will be the independent community pharmacies that make a difference in this new model. ven thogh big chains have a large footprint


and access to a lot of data, they are only connected to the community by over-the-


18 | Outsourcing In Clinical Trials


counter sales, while independent pharmacies have built trusting and long-lasting relationships within their community, Finken explains. Getz agrees that the relationship between the health or research professional and the patient is a sacred one, but it does not mean that big pharmacy chains are incapable of creating quality relationships. “Many of these big pharmacy chains have absorbed local pharmacies that have been rebranded, but they still have a tremendous interactive level of interaction and integration within the community,” he says, adding that independent pharmacies might lack infrastructure, data and patient volume.


Outside the US With retail chains in the US leading the way for pharmacies to be a part of clinical trials, similar players and sponsors in other countries have yet to fully tap in. In Canada, a number of large chains are keen to partner pharmacies, says Dr David Campbell, assistant professor and consultant endocrinologist at the University of Calgary, Canada. “They see it as an area to potentially provide some social impact and the types of trials that I do are focused on health disparities,” he adds. Australian sponsors are also looking at the


potential of pharmacists in clinical trials, says Dr Christina Abdel Shaheed, pharmacist and senior research fellow at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. She notes that it would not be a battle between chain and private pharmacies, but more about the willingness and interest of the pharmacists themselves to participate in a clinical trial. Sponsors in the UK, on the other hand,


have yet to explore this model, says Olivier Picard, director of Newdays Pharmacy. He explains that the clinical trial market had been earmarked for CROs, and introducing pharmacies wold be a significant change for the industry. While it is certainly feasible to introduce this


model to the UK market, Picard says it will be led by independent community pharmacists. While there are chains such as Boots and LloydsPharmacy, many of these companies have announced redundancies and staff shortages in recent years.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72