Kroger Health, the national grocery chain's healthcare division, will set up clinical trial sites for research on colorectal cancer gut and immune health with the aim of developing personalized medicines.
It will be the company's first clinical trial, according to a Jan. 24 news release.
"The data collected from this trial will be used to develop personalized medicines and find cancer-specific indicators that may help guide future treatment and preventive strategies," Kroger said in a statement.
The chain is currently enrolling participants for the trial, which will happen in Toledo, Ohio, in select Kroger pharmacies and locations of its affiliate, the Little Clinic.
"This is the first of many clinical trial opportunities that will utilize us as an alternative to the traditional clinical trial and research organization model," Jim Kirby, PharmD, chief commercial officer of Kroger Health, said in the release.
In late 2022, Kroger announced its plans to merge with grocery chain Albertsons for $24.6 billion, which will nearly double its number of pharmacies. The Federal Trade Commission has twice questioned the merger.