Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why retail pharmacies are the future of diverse clinical trials

Shelli Pavone
Meds
June 10, 2025
Share
Tweet
Share

The importance of diversity in clinical trials is well-documented, yet unfortunately the lack of diversity still occurs at an alarming rate. As a result, we continue to have less effective treatments, poorer health outcomes, one-size-fits-all medicine that falls short of many patients, and many more negative impacts on health care.

The reason for lack of diversity in clinical trials is similarly known, with language barriers, limited access to health care facilities conducting the trials, mistrust, and concerns about cost and time commitment being among some of the central causes. While the U.S. Census shows that 30 to 40 percent of the population are minorities, industry research shows that 80 percent of clinical trial participants are white and only 45 percent are women.

While the problem is complex and requires an equally comprehensive and long-term solution, there are impactful steps we can take to address the need for more inclusive clinical trials that will ultimately lead to more inclusive treatments.

One of those includes leveraging existing and familiar infrastructure: retail pharmacies.

A large majority of the U.S. population lives within a five-mile distance of a retail pharmacy.

By using local pharmacies, such as Walgreens and CVS, as decentralized clinical trial sites, we can make clinical trials more accessible than ever before. Importantly, hosting trials in local communities increases the likelihood that the trial staff and providers are representative of the local population, eliminating potential issues like language barriers and mistrust.

For example, one retail pharmacy invited more than 17 million customers to participate in local or hybrid research studies—most of whom had never been invited to participate in clinical research before. Out of those customers, 63 percent invited to engage with the trials are women, and of that population, 40 percent identify as non-white and 53 percent are over 60 years old—well above historic industry averages.

Pharmacies provide a familiar, trusted environment.

In 2024, a Coresight Research report found that more than three out of four Americans bought products from drugstores or pharmacy retailers. Because the majority of Americans visit a retail pharmacy every quarter, it is convenient for clinical trial participants to integrate trial activities into their routine pharmacy visits with little to no disruption to daily life. With retention being critical to trial outcomes, we need to increase those that fit seamlessly into participants’ lives—especially if we want to improve inclusivity.

In communities around the country, retail pharmacies play an important role and, as a result, represent a significant opportunity to be used as hubs for patient education and specialized clinical offerings.

Pharmacies have established—and adaptable—infrastructure.

Since most pharmacies already offer services like vaccinations, health screenings, and chronic disease management, they have the facilities and processes that can be adapted for clinical trials. According to Moe Alsumidaie, head of research at CliniBiz, retail pharmacies are uniquely positioned to support decentralized clinical trials due to their ability to incorporate technology and innovative approaches to make trials more patient-centric and efficient.

Health care is complex, and the journey from concept to cure is fraught with challenges. When we overlook or underrepresent patient populations, the repercussions are felt across the board, putting patients at risk. Unfortunately, within this spectrum, women and ethnic minorities bear a disproportionately heavier burden, often facing amplified health disparities due to the absence of tailored solutions. A failure to include these voices in health care innovation not only perpetuates health care inequalities but casts a shadow on the potential of medical advancements.

ADVERTISEMENT

There is work to do, of course, beyond identifying and scaling locations for decentralized clinical trials. But we need to start somewhere; and, when we do, we must ensure the efforts are inclusive of the entire population that new treatments have the potential to help.

Shelli Pavone is a health care executive.

Prev

Why flashy AI tools won't fix health care without real infrastructure

June 10, 2025 Kevin 1
…
Next

Living through injury: one family's journey to the other side

June 10, 2025 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medications

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why flashy AI tools won't fix health care without real infrastructure
Next Post >
Living through injury: one family's journey to the other side

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Understanding why people participate in clinical trials

    Pouria Rostamiasrabadi
  • 13 tips for medical students starting their clinical rotations

    Netana Markovitz
  • For medical students: 20 pearls to honor every clinical rotation

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • The trials and tribulations of health care delivery

    Michelle Detka
  • The benefits of early clinical exposure in medical education

    Karan Patel
  • Pearls and pitfalls for medical students entering their clinical years

    Garrett K. Berger, PharmD

More in Meds

  • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

    GJ van Londen, MD
  • Pharmacists are key to expanding Medicaid access to digital therapeutics

    Amanda Matter
  • How medicine repurposing enables value-based pain management and insomnia therapy

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • From stigma to science: Rethinking the U.S. drug scheduling system

    Artin Asadipooya
  • How drugmakers manipulate your health from diagnosis to prescription

    Martha Rosenberg
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why rigorous training is vital for today’s surgeons

      Philip Alford, MD | Physician
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • First-name familiarity improves doctor-patient connection

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden cost of professionalism in medical training

      Hannah Wulk | Education
    • How value-based care transforms chronic kidney disease management

      Timothy Pflederer, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • First-name familiarity improves doctor-patient connection

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care

      Vikram Madireddy, MD, Masashi Hamada, MD, PhD, and Hibiki Yamazaki | Education
    • Emphasizing empathy and equity in value-based health care delivery

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How AI, animals, and ecosystems reveal a new kind of intelligence

      Fateh Entabi, MD | Tech
    • What it really means to be lucky: a doctor’s story of survival and resilience

      Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO | Physician
    • How truth depends on where you stand and what you see

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why rigorous training is vital for today’s surgeons

      Philip Alford, MD | Physician
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • First-name familiarity improves doctor-patient connection

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden cost of professionalism in medical training

      Hannah Wulk | Education
    • How value-based care transforms chronic kidney disease management

      Timothy Pflederer, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • First-name familiarity improves doctor-patient connection

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care

      Vikram Madireddy, MD, Masashi Hamada, MD, PhD, and Hibiki Yamazaki | Education
    • Emphasizing empathy and equity in value-based health care delivery

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How AI, animals, and ecosystems reveal a new kind of intelligence

      Fateh Entabi, MD | Tech
    • What it really means to be lucky: a doctor’s story of survival and resilience

      Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO | Physician
    • How truth depends on where you stand and what you see

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...