Walgreens and Boehringer Ingelheim announced a strategic collaboration aimed at optimizing recruitment and making clinical trials more accessible, inclusive and equitable. This collaboration will offer people an opportunity to learn about and potentially participate in an important Phase III clinical trial within the familiar and accessible environment of Walgreens pharmacies, reflecting a shared vision to expand access to healthcare and research.

Through this collaboration, Boehringer Ingelheim will leverage select Walgreens community pharmacies as clinical trial sites for people living with obesity, overweight and type 2 diabetes. The effort aims to dismantle barriers, improve access, and address equitable health representation in clinical trials, especially among Black and Hispanic adults who are more likely to have obesity in the U.S. and have historically been underrepresented.

“Embracing our pharmacy clinical trial centers in this study underscores our joint commitment to community health and innovation,” said Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer at Walgreens. “This model not only provides foundational education on clinical research for patients but also empowers individuals, offering them a new pathway to engage in their healthcare through clinical trial participation. It’s a step forward in transforming the landscape of clinical research, helping to make clinical trials more inclusive and accessible.”

Additionally, Boehringer is partnering with EmVenio Research to complement this initiative by introducing mobile research units to extend reach and provide additional options for participation.

“Boehringer is proud to embrace this community-centric approach to clinical research with Walgreens and EmVenio,” said Lennart Jungersten, Senior Vice President, Medicine & Regulatory Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim U.S. “By bringing clinical trials into the heart of local communities, we’re making them more accessible, helping to provide access to diverse populations with pressing health needs to participate in our clinical trials. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to helping those living with overweight and obesity to transform lives for generations to come.”

It is estimated that over 1 billion people in the world live with obesity, and numbers are continuing to rise, with an estimated 24% of the entire world population affected by 2035. Obesity is included among cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (C-R-M) diseases, and, collectively, these are the leading cause of death worldwide.

“At EmVenio, we believe that innovation is meaningful and access to clinical trial research should be universal. Our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim exemplifies our commitment to breaking down barriers and expanding access to transformative healthcare solutions,” says Thad Wolfram, President, EmVenio Research. “By bringing clinical trials directly to local communities, we're not just conducting research, we're fostering inclusivity and diversity in clinical trials.”

Leveraging pharmacies and mobile research units for clinical trial research is a forward-thinking approach with the potential to enhance patient outcomes and set a new benchmark for inclusivity. Walgreens will also utilize advanced, real-world insights to identify and engage potential study participants as part of the collaboration.