Getting More — and Different — Patients into Clinical Trials

Today, in the first of a two-part episode on increasing diversity in clinical trials, we hear from Dr. Owen Garrick, Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Trial Services at CVS Health. The unit, launched in 2021, is creating a network of clinical research sites by equipping certain HealthHUB and MinuteClinic locations with the staff and resources needed to conduct complex clinical trial protocols. The goal is to expand access to clinical trials in underserved communities and encourage a more diverse population to enroll, leading to more effective outcomes. “Historically, there has just been less diverse participation in studies,” notes Dr. Garrick. “The risk is, if we don’t solve this issue around lack of diversity in clinical trials, as we get to precision medicine, we’re only going to exacerbate health inequity.”

This new model combines precision patient recruitment from a diverse population with trial delivery and real-world evidence generation. Dr. Garrick believes it will be successful because it breaks down several of the barriers to trial participation – outreach to know a trial exists, convenience and, importantly, trust. “You already know CVS Health because you go for part of your health care, whether that’s retail prescriptions or specialty prescriptions or over-the-counter meds or MinuteClinic. So, you have this relationship that already exists,” he says. “As we introduce clinical trials and additional health care services, there’s this built-in trust.”

 

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CVS Health Clinical Trial Services