ACT Brief: Community Research Policy Needs, Walmart Trial Centers, and Psoriatic Arthritis Approval

This is the Applied Clinical Trials Brief—your fast track to the latest insights shaping clinical operations and drug development.

• In part five of a video interview, Kent Thoelke, CEO of Paradigm Health, calls for safe harbor protections, CMS reimbursement safeguards, and funding mechanisms modeled on EHR meaningful use. He argues these measures would help community and rural institutions participate in research on par with academic centers.
• The Walmart Healthcare Research Institute and Care Access plan to open three more Clinical Trial Centers in Livonia, Michigan, Las Vegas, Nevada, and San Antonio, Texas, in the first half of 2027. The centers will support Phase II, III, and IV trials in areas such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and GLP-1 therapies, along with health screenings and research consultations. Michael Franklin, vice president of community-based research and innovation at Eli Lilly, says the centers can engage people who may not otherwise participate.
• FDA approved Sun Pharma’s Ilumya for adults with active psoriatic arthritis, adding a second disease to a drug first approved in 2018 for plaque psoriasis. The approval rests on two Phase III trials, but the company’s announcement did not include efficacy figures. Sun Pharma presents provider administration as the key feature, offering an option for patients who cannot self-administer treatment or who benefit from regular in-office care.

That’s all for today’s ACT Brief. Join us tomorrow for more updates shaping clinical operations and drug development. Thanks for listening.