In the United States, pharmacies have begun to take advantage of digital tools and software to conduct decentralized clinical trials of their drugs.
Decentralized trials, in addition to expanding access to clinical research, improve the ability to recruit more diverse patients and demographics.
Earlier this year, US pharmaceutical company CVS Health announced that it would start using digital health company Medable's decentralized trial software. CVS Health has a care model called MinuteClinics, which are located inside its pharmacies or in self-service stores. MinuteClinics are operating in more than 30 states and offer retail clinical services, immunizations, physicals, sexual health, contraceptive services, and more. These small clinics are staffed by nurses and physician assistants.
In this way, CVS MinuteClinics and Medable software have begun the processes to recruit patients to participate in clinical studies, and have also created strategies to not only improve access to participation, but also to retain patients who participate. .
The network of users of these clinics is widely diverse, which will allow trials to include ethnic minorities such as African Americans, Asians, Latinos, among others, who are usually underrepresented in clinical trials.
The software used facilitates the participation of patients, since it allows them to register for studies without having to go to research sites. Medable's platform can analyze data from electronic health records, genomics studies, and even from wearables or other mobile devices that record variables related to physical health.
Tony Clapsis, general manager of CVS Health Clinical Trial Services, explained that more than 40% of the vulnerable population in the United States lives within five miles of a CVS pharmacy, so they will be able to involve these people in trials.
On the other hand, Walgreens, another of the largest pharmacies in the United States, has invested heavily in conducting clinical trials. In this way, the users of its more than 9,000 stores and its myWalgreens mobile application are key to encouraging participation in clinical trials. Almost 80% of clinical trials in the United States fail to complete their participation goals in the established time.
Walgreens can also take advantage of access to digital clinical data for patients who want to participate in a trial. In addition, in 2021, the pharmacy acquired shares and majority ownership of two companies, the first CareCentrix, a provider of home care, ideal for decentralized clinical trials, and VillageMD, a company specializing in primary care.
In this way, two of the largest pharmacies and with the largest user networks in the United States are promoting participation in decentralized clinical trials.
