Lilly and Humana agree new research collaboration

Lilly and Humana have signed a broad-ranging research collaboration agreement that will see the companies working together to advance healthcare outcomes.

The multi-year partnership will involve a range of studies related to various disease states, with methodologies including the impact of interventions on outcomes, adherence programmes, disease management and pharmacoeconomics.

An initial project will assess patient characteristics associated with increased healthcare costs in people with type 2 diabetes, with the joint work to leverage the collective capabilities of both companies.

Humana is based in Louisville and offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services to patients in the US.

Dr Dara Schuster, medical fellow at Lilly Diabetes, said: "Working together, we hope to provide patients with insights and guidance that will help them tailor their care to best match their individual needs."

This comes in the same week that Lilly announced the appointment of Dr Marschall Runge – executive dean for the school of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – to its board of directors.