Walgreens has snagged US government funding to expand its clinical trial capabilities, continuing investment where others have dropped off.
The retail pharmacy is partnering with the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to bolster its decentralized clinical trial effort, part of a federal health initiative to expand clinical research beyond large hospitals. Walgreens said Monday that the agreement covers trials over a five-year period and valued it at about $100 million.
A spokesperson for BARDA and the US Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ramita TandonThe deal is a major bet on the behemoth pharmacy some two years after it expanded its footprint to include clinical trials, hiring Ramita Tandon to spearhead the division. She previously was the chief operating officer of Trio Health, a data services company using real-world health data.
A 2023 case study detailed how Walgreens expedited and diversified recruitment for one of Moderna’s trials, a Phase 3 study testing the immunogenicity of an unspecified vaccine in women. The company said it was able to refer more than 5,000 patients in less than 16 weeks, and that the patients who were referred and randomized were more diverse than most trials.
Walgreens says its new BARDA pact will look to fortify decentralized trials so that they’ll be more widely used to help FDA-regulated products, enhance clinical research “and evaluate other medical countermeasures.” The two groups are also collaborating on a Phase 4 observational Covid-19 trial that’s happening through Walgreens’ community pharmacy network.
The funding is part of BARDA’s Decentralized Clinical Operations for Healthcare and Research (D-COHRe) initiative, which includes mobile clinics and urgent care facilities, in addition to retail pharmacies. The federal government hopes that the year-old effort can build off gains made during the pandemic when in-person clinical trial visits were exceedingly difficult to keep.
Other retail pharmacies have tried to make similar investments in clinical research but have faltered. CVS Health launched its clinical trials business during the pandemic but elected to close up shop last year. A full exit is expected by the end of this year.