CVS Health Launches Clinical Trial Services

CVS Health has navigated a pandemic that decimated footfall into its pharmacies but boosted demand for diagnostics and also saw it help pharma companies and CROs find trial subjects for COVID-19 tests.

It liked this new role, and now, in a new chapter for the $118 billion company, it’s setting up its own study business to be known simply as Clinical Trial Services, to boost recruitment and trial delivery as well as collect more real-world evidence.

These will all be done by tapping its local community position, especially in recruitment and delivery, where it can use local resources to assist boost understanding of trials while also opening up its stores for studies or to help facilitate decentralized options for the delivery of phase 3 and 4 clinical trials.It will build on the recent experience of getting 300,000 subjects into COVID trials, with the new Clinical Trial Services business tapping Health’s expertise in both healthcare services and clinical research, including more than 200 in-home clinical trials, real-world evidence studies and support for the publication of peer-reviewed articles.

Troyen Brennan, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Health said that traditionally low patient enrollment, diversity and engagement coupled with inconvenient trial sites, challenging study participation requirements, including the length of participation, show the need to improve the current model particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Combining clinical trial expertise from across the CVS Health enterprise with our growing connection to the communities we serve, will help create a new clinical trial experience that works better for participants, health care providers, clinical research organizations and study sponsors.