The Future of Clinical Trials in Community-Based Settings

In a recent video interview with Applied Clinical Trials, Ramita Tandon, chief biopharma officer, Walgreens, discussed the company’s three-year milestone of leading clinical trials. Tandon highlighted several of Walgreens’ initiatives in the space, including how its 8,000+ pharmacy locations are bringing research directly into communities. She emphasized the need for community-based partnerships, cultural competence, and education to empower patients. Looking forward, strategic partnerships will be key in enhancing inclusivity and accessibility, with the ultimate goal of bridging gaps in clinical research and public health.

ACT: Looking ahead, how do you see the role of retail or community-integrated sites evolving in clinical trials over the next five years?

Tandon: That's a great question. Obviously, Walgreens has played a very pivotal role in shaping the future of clinical trials in the last three years by leading the way to demonstrate, not just simply talk about it, but demonstrate how, if you bring research closer to the patients, they will respond. If you spend the time to educate and empower, you make them comfortable, they will respond. They'll more likely want to participate. We also believe that forging strategic partnerships in the industry is best practice. We recognize that we can't do this alone. It's going to require unlocking, at the local level, as well as the national level, so the industry partnerships, whether it's public and private, will be absolutely pivotal and critical to come to the table to shape the future of clinical research. That collaboration is going to be so absolutely critical. Again, it's with regulatory bodies and other key stakeholders. I think, the success of pharmacy-based clinical trials continues to hinge on the sustained, committed strategies that we've put in place around robust infrastructure investment, intentionality, around community engagement, and we're seeing those collaborative efforts proving to be beneficial, and it allows us to overcome challenges such as that skepticism that we've seen in the industry around participation and then logistical issues. You make it easier for patients to participate because it's convenient. It's easier because there's infrastructure that's put in place to allow a pathway for patients to participate. For us, from a retail perspective, we're going to continue to harness the potential of retail settings as we continue to invest as an organization, but our focus continues to be doubling down on the inclusivity and making sure we're providing comprehensive health care solutions for the patients that we serve across the nation, ultimately enhancing public health outcomes and closing care gaps as we see access as a big issue for patients across the healthcare ecosystem.