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Boots has partnered with the University of Oxford's primary care clinical trials unit on a study to assess how community pharmacies can use their growing role in treating common conditions to recruit patients to clinical trials.

A branch of the chain in Durham Market Place has begun recruiting women with urinary tract unfection symptoms to the DURATION trial, which is looking at optimal antibiotic treatment durations to address antimicrobial resistance. Patients presenting with UTI symptoms will be asked to take part in the trial. 

The 2024 launch of Pharmacy First and the growing trend of patients accessing treatment for some minor ailments from pharmacies rather than their GP is a jey driver for the study, Oxford researchers said. 

The new study follows the launch of NHS Pharmacy First in England in 2024, which enables pharmacists to diagnose and treat seven common conditions including UTIs. This means that patients who would previously have consulted their GP for these conditions now increasingly access treatment through community pharmacies instead.

Lucy Cureton, senior trial manager at the primary care clinical trials unit, commented: "The introduction of the Pharmacy First pathway has been hugely beneficial. 

"However, it has fundamentally changed where patients present with UTI symptoms. This presents a challenge to primary care clinical trials, where GP surgeries are a key location for recruiting participants. 

"We want to show that our research can pivot alongside the changing landscape of healthcare delivery."

Heather Elliot, director of life sciences and clinical trials at Boots, said: "This partnership demonstrates how community pharmacies can contribute to nationally important research whilst delivering expanded clinical services. 

"Our colleagues in Durham are proud to be part of this pilot and to play a role in this important work to address antimicrobial resistance through both evidence-based prescribing and active research participation."

The DURATION trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, seeks to address an important evidence gap and assess whether current standard practice with regard to treatment length could lead to women taking antibiotics for Ionger than necessary. 

The trial seeks to recruit 1,650 women across primary and secondary care settings between now and February 2026, randomising women with bladder and kidney infections and offering them prescribed antibiotics with varying durations.

Participants will be asked to complete symptom diaries and provide urine samples to assess clinical recovery and resistance development up to 42 days after treatment. The findings will inform national and international guidelines on the optimal treatment length for UTIs.

"The pilot will assess whether recruitment rates and data quality match GP-based recruitment, addressing practical questions around workflow management, consent processes, and sample collection logistics," said Boots.