Politico March 23, 2023
Clinical trials are coming to the corner store and strip mall.
Walgreens, Walmart and CVS are getting into the business and have built-in advantages.
Selling point: Clinical trial investigators and sponsors have long struggled to recruit a sufficent number of participants — especially those from diverse populations.
The big chains are betting that their ubiquitous stores and troves of patient data can give them an advantage in expanding access to trials and recruiting patients.
Their pharmacies are well positioned to do so, said Caleb Alexander, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, given that most Americans live near them.
Game plan: Walgreens launched its clinical trial business last summer, and Walmart rolled out its...