Boehringer Ingelheim, WellPoint and HealthCore Announce First Project Under Multi-Year Research Collaboration

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., and WILMINGTON, Del. – Nov. 14, 2014—Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI), WellPoint and HealthCore, announced today that the companies are commencing a research project to identify and address unmet medical needs across populations of mutual interest.

The first stage of the project will focus on non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and will examine disease prevalence, treatment complications, such as hospital readmissions, and the use of evidence-based guidelines. This project is the first under the parties’ five-year research collaboration agreement, signed earlier this year. 

Information gathered through the NVAF project is intended to provide the basis for the collaborative development of healthcare interventions, which can be evaluated within WellPoint’s affiliated health plans and provider networks.

 “This collaborative approach allows us to look at problems collectively,” said Mark Cziraky, vice president of research of HealthCore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WellPoint. “It’s this holistic approach to identifying the needs of all stakeholders that will allow us to produce the kind of information  used to develop therapies and interventions that provide the most value to members, providers, insurers and medical product developers and manufacturers.”

The five-year collaboration will enable HealthCore, WellPoint and BIPI to generate real world evidence and develop health economic and outcomes data to inform the development and evaluation of new medicines, guidelines and interventions. Together, the companies plan to explore issues related to appropriate use of existing and new therapies and interventions and the impact these have on clinical and economic outcomes that matter the most to patients.

BIPI and HealthCore are focusing on NVAF first because the entry of newer anticoagulant therapies, after more than five decades of warfarin use, presents an important opportunity to understand how NVAF is being managed in a new era of treatment.

“At Boehringer Ingelheim, our mission is to create medicines that offer real value to patients, payers and providers in an ever-changing healthcare environment,” said Jeff Huth, senior vice president, Managed Markets, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “In order to best serve patients and key customers, we must better understand how medications are being used in real clinical settings, how disease management is evolving, where there are gaps in care and adherence, and whether medical guidelines are being followed.”

About WellPoint

WellPoint is working to transform health care with trusted and caring solutions. Our health plan companies deliver quality products and services that give their members access to the care they need. With nearly 69 million people served by its affiliated companies, including more than 37 million enrolled in its family of health plans, WellPoint is one of the nation’s leading health benefits companies. WellPoint companies serve members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; and as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensees for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In most of these service areas, WellPoint does business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service areas). It also serves customers in other states through its Amerigroup, CareMore and UniCare subsidiaries. To find out more about WellPoint, go to wellpoint.com.

About HealthCore Inc.

HealthCore Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WellPoint Inc. that uses real world data, including claims information, to provide clinical and other scientific expertise and research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and device industries, in the conduct of industry-sponsored safety, health economic outcomes, comparative effectiveness, epidemiological and late stage research projects. HealthCore’s capabilities include retrospective database design and analysis, prospective observational research design and analysis, safety and epidemiologic research services, post authorization safety study (PASS), health services research, patient and/or provider survey development and implementation, and general research consultation.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation (Ridgefield, CT) and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 142 affiliates and more than 47,400 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is a central element of Boehringer Ingelheim's culture. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim’s endeavors.

In 2013, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about $18.7 billion (14.1 billion euro). R&D expenditure in the Prescription Medicines business corresponds to 19.5% of its net sales.

For more information please visit http://www.us.boehringer-ingelheim.com

WellPoint Media Contact
Lori McLaughlin
Corporation Communications Director WellPoint
Phone: 317-407-7403
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