Humana and Pfizer form research partnership to improve health care delivery for seniors

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced a five-year research partnership to explore new ideas and ways to improve the quality, outcomes and costs of the health care delivery system for senior citizens and other populations.

Humana, one of the nation’s largest health care companies, and Pfizer, the world’s largest biopharmaceutical company, will bring together researchers and health care experts from both organizations to study key issues and deliver interventions to reduce inefficiencies in the management of chronic conditions such as pain, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. This collaboration will leverage Humana’s experience with making health care more affordable for seniors and Pfizer’s expertise in researching and developing medicines to treat chronic conditions- bringing together data and scientific information to better understand patient needs and the effectiveness of treatments.

“This research collaboration is yet another important strategy Humana has implemented to learn more about our members’ health and well-being,” said William Fleming, Pharm.D., vice president of Humana Pharmacy Solutions. “We are excited about this long-term research collaboration with Pfizer as the companies strive to develop an important body of knowledge that may meaningfully advance the work of our respective companies in various disease areas, population health sub-types, and intervention methods, among other things.”

Humana, working through its research affiliate Competitive Health Analytics, Inc., and Pfizer share a vision of building on clinical evidence using real world data and comparative effectiveness research to better understand patient needs and improve access to appropriate care so that the right services are delivered to the right patients at the right time.

“Through this innovative partnership we hope to improve outcomes and health for patients,” said Steven Romano, MD, senior vice president of Pfizer’s Primary Care Medicines Development Group. “Together we will strive to find new solutions to address the issues of chronic illnesses that are treated in the primary care setting.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Population Projections, over the next 10 years the Medicare-eligible population is expected to grow to 65 million – a 36 percent increase from 2010. With this significant and growing population, along with the need to more efficiently use health care resources and reduce costs, it makes sense for two leading health care companies to join forces and address these challenges.