Pfizer has linked up with US insurer Humana to research ways to improve healthcare for the elderly.
The firms have signed a five-year partnership 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”. Pfizer and Humana cited figures which suggest that over the next 10 years, “the Medicare-eligible population is expected to grow to 65 million – a 36% increase from 2010”.
They added that “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”. The plan is to use “real-world data and comparative effectiveness research to better understand patient needs and improve access to appropriate care”.
William Fleming, vice president of Humana Pharmacy Solutions, said the companies will “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”.
