On Tuesday, Walmart said it would begin helping pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations and academic medical centers recruit people for clinical research trials.
Its Walmart Healthcare Research Institute will focus on recruiting older adults, rural residents and minority populations for clinical trials and research into treatments for chronic diseases.
The move puts Walmart in direct competition with Walgreens and CVS Health Group, both of which have recently launched clinical trial units and are trying to engage with more diverse populations.
For months, the Food and Drug Administration has focused on helping organizations recruit more clinical trial participants from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as a way to improve clinical outcomes. improve drug research results and patient health.
In 2020, 75% of drug trial participants in the US are white, 11% are Hispanic, 8% are black, and 6% are Asian, according to the FDA.
“We knew our customers were interested in participating in healthcare research, but many still didn’t have access until now,” said Dr. John Wigneswaran, chief medical officer of Walmart. John Wigneswaran, Walmart’s chief medical officer, said.
Because 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of Walmart and nearly 4,000 stores are in underserved areas, Wigneswaran said the retailer hopes to connect customers and patients closer to spaces where they live and work.
While Walmart has been in the healthcare space for more than a decade, the company founded Walmart Health in 2019, a division that provides primary and urgent care, labs, and diagnostics services. , behavioral health, dentistry, optometry and hearing. There are 32 Walmart Health centers across Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas, with six more opening in Florida.
The company also launched its own insulin brand last year.
In 2021, Walmart Health reports $42.84 billion in revenue, nearly 11% of Walmart’s total sales.
Walmart has also entered the insurance space, partnering with healthcare startup Transcaren in 2021 to provide access to care for groups of employers, and announced in September. that it will provide preventive care services to UnitedHealth Group Medicare Advantage customers through a 10-year agreement.
