Humana, Novo Nordisk enter research partnership to explore diabetes treatment and care

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) and Novo Nordisk Inc. (NYSE: NVO) today announced a one-year research partnership to explore diabetes treatment and care. Together, researchers will identify opportunities to change how patients might be treated to improve quality and outcomes for the millions of people who battle diabetes.

“We look forward to collaborating with Humana on this project”

Humana, one of the nation's largest health care companies, and Novo Nordisk, the world leader in diabetes care, will bring together researchers to study the treatment and progression of diabetes in the senior population. By leveraging both companies' experience, this research will assist in the development of programs that will further enhance health and well-being of people with diabetes.

"This research collaboration is an important step in the fight against a disease that affects one out of every four Medicare members at Humana," said William Fleming, Pharm.D, President of Humana Pharmacy Solutions. "We are excited about working together with Novo Nordisk as we will meaningfully advance care and improve the lives of our members."

Humana, working through its research affiliate, Competitive Health Analytics, Inc., and Novo Nordisk are excited about the opportunity to partner together in the fight against diabetes.

"We look forward to collaborating with Humana on this project," said Anne Phillips, M.D., Corporate Vice President, Clinical Development, Medical and Regulatory Affairs, Novo Nordisk Inc. "Health care quality is so important when it comes to achieving good outcomes, but we can't measure it unless we have a strong partner with substantial data. It is our hope that this collaboration ultimately will create solutions that will improve outcomes for people with diabetes."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes. This number is projected to significantly rise with an increasingly older, more sedentary and overweight population. Seven million of those with diabetes remain undiagnosed. Additionally, 79 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes, a condition in which individuals have blood glucose or A1c levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, strokes, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputations.