Walgreens selected for $25M COVID vaccine study

Walgreens has been awarded up to $25 million to conduct a Phase IV observational clinical study using COVID-19 vaccine data.

The funding is through the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle, and the research will be focused on assessing correlates of protection, the responses to a vaccine that predict how well a vaccinated person will be protected from future infections.

Walgreens played a major role in administering COVID-19 vaccines and testing during the pandemic.

The study will use select Walgreens pharmacies as clinical trial sites to assess the effectiveness of the FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines. The goal is to enhance access to clinical research across diverse patient populations, particularly in communities historically underrepresented in clinical trials.

The study will enroll up to 4,000 participants across 20 pharmacy locations.

“We are honored to be selected … for this important study as this is a step forward to utilize public and private partnerships to bring clinical trials into more communities across the country,” said Ramita Tandon, chief clinical trials officer at Walgreens.