Walgreens is partnering with medtech company Freenome to advance clinical trials of Freenome's blood tests for early cancer detection.
The news comes after Walgreen's retail healthcare competitor CVS announced plans to shutter its clinical trials business. CVS expects to fully exit clinical trials by Dec. 31, 2024.
Walgreens will work to recruit participants for Freenome's clinical trials and partner to build population health software, according to a June 15 Walgreens news release.
"At Walgreens, our aim is to help every community we serve see clinical research as a viable care option," Ramita Tandon, chief clinical trials officer at Walgreens, said in the release. "Through our nationwide presence and trusted pharmacists, we can reach and engage previously underserved patient populations for clinical trials. Supporting the identification of cancers when they are most treatable is one more way we are helping to improve health outcomes of our communities and patients while advancing research in oncology."