DEERFIELD, Ill. AUG. 19, 2024-- Walgreens and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), today announced a strategic partnership to increase innovation in decentralized clinical trials as part of the Decentralized Clinical Operations for Healthcare and Research (D-COHRe) program. The program is designed to strengthen U.S. decentralized clinical research capabilities to support development of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated products, enhance clinical innovation to execute more efficient and relevant clinical research and evaluate other medical countermeasures in real world environments that may be used in a public health emergency.

The partnership will utilize Walgreens's clinical trial ecosystem, which has proven effective in making clinical trials more accessible and representative of the U.S. population and has reached more than five million patients to potentially recruit into clinical trials since its launch in 2022.

Walgreens is committed to making decentralized clinical research models more efficient and accessible to the U.S. population during their routine healthcare journey and during public health emergencies. Walgreens has consistently met recruitment goals and has continuously surpassed national averages for recruiting diverse clinical trial participants for its sponsor-led clinical trials. Walgreens successfully activates a comprehensive approach to participant recruitment that utilizes its physical footprint and its decentralized clinical trial platform to engage patients and potential patients where it's most convenient for them. This positions Walgreens as the ideal partner to help enhance decentralized clinical research to validate, pilot and implement new products, technologies and approach for remote and/or decentralized use during a public health emergency, including immunizations, diagnostics, and treatments.

"It is a privilege to continue our partnership with BARDA to strengthen clinical research in the U.S. through a decentralized model in a community pharmacy setting like Walgreens," said Ramita Tandon, chief clinical trials officer at 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."

Nearly 80% of trials fail to meet their enrollment goals in the stated timeframes, often contributing to billions of dollars in delays annually. With only 5% of the U.S. population participating in clinical trials, there is a clear need to increase access and representation in clinical research. Walgreens is committed to working with BARDA to help make decentralized clinical trials more accessible and representative of the U.S. population.

Walgreens is also partnering with BARDA on a Phase IV observational COVID-19 trial to enhance U.S. public health preparedness through the Walgreens community pharmacy network.

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