On Tuesday Walmart announced it would begin to help drug companies and research firms identify and recruit individuals to fill their clinical trials, reported Reuters.
Walmart Healthcare Research Institute will now find participants for clinical trials, and Walmart also hosts MyHealthJourney, a patient portal that helps people find upcoming research trials and track their care.
Walmart’s expansion into clinical trial recruitment could bring it new streams of revenue from drug companies.
John Wigneswaran, Walmart’s chief medical officer, said the retailer’s clinics and pharmacies will become a “funnel” for healthcare organizations that want access to its diverse populations of customers for possible trials and studies.
Patient-recruitment is difficult in clinical trials. Studies can be delayed or terminated when organizations are not able to get enough people to participate or when patients drop out of the trial.
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