Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. And Sutter Health Establish Research Collaboration To Improve Patient Care

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., and SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim, a family-owned biopharmaceutical company, and Sutter Health, a not-for-profit health system in Northern California, today announced the start of a five-year research and health care innovation collaboration, which will explore and test the value of digital health solutions, mobile technologies, and insights from advanced data analytics in the delivery of health care. 

The organizations will work on initiatives that bring together Boehringer Ingelheim's research and development expertise in novel medications to address unmet therapeutic needs with Sutter Health's research and clinical experience from caring for a diverse population of more than 3 million patients in its network of hospitals and healthcare providers.

The first collaborative initiative will focus on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic lower respiratory diseases, which include COPD, rank third in leading causes of death in the United States. Healthcare providers have told approximately 15 million Americans that they have COPD. Through this initial project, the team hopes to make it easier for doctors and patients to work together to personalize medical care to the patient's unique needs and preferences.

"Ultimately, we all want to help patients reduce COPD symptoms and live healthier lives," said Walter "Buzz" Stewart, Ph.D., MPH, chief research officer for Sutter Health. "We believe that innovative technologies can help us develop a deeper understanding of patient needs, values, and care preferencesand create more time during office visits for doctors and patients to partner toward improved health outcomes."

Specifically, the initial collaboration between the two companies aims to achieve the following: 

• Develop a reliable, electronic (tablet or kiosk-based) data collection system to collect information directly from the patient, during every health encounter
• Make it easier for healthcare professionals and patients to communicate about treatment options by developing technological means for integrating clinical and patient reported data in an engaging visual display
• Empower shared decision making through the use of visual displays and other technologies that help connect patients and healthcare professionals and create more personal care

"Re-designing the patient experience by seamlessly integrating key technologies, applications, and analytical insights has the potential to fundamentally enhance care for our patients with COPD," said Joshua N. Liberman, Ph.D., director of Research, Development, and Dissemination at Sutter Health. "We will work with our pulmonologists, patients and Boehringer Ingelheim to design, develop, and test the most promising ideas for use broadly with our and others' patients."

"For more than a century, Boehringer Ingelheim has led the industry in bringing innovative medicines to patients," said Ruchin Kansal, executive director and head, Business Innovation at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "By joining forces with Sutter Health, we hope this collaboration will provide new insights into unmet needs in care delivery and inform development of new resources for patients. We are excited to launch the first such initiative in COPD, a therapeutic area where Boehringer Ingelheim has been an industry leader for more than two decades."

About Sutter Health 
Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. Sutter's Research Enterprise of 120 staff and full-time investigators, along with hundreds of physician clinical trials investigators, presently conducts more than 740 sponsored studies and trials across the research spectrum. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California's top-performing, highest-quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Association. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women's and children's services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient-safety technology. For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health network visit: sutterhealth.org | facebook.com/sutterhealth | youtube.com/sutterhealth | twitter.com/sutterhealth

About Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, the company operates globally with 146 affiliates and more than 47,000 employees. Since its founding in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel treatments for human and veterinary medicine.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and providing valuable services and support to patients and families.  Our employees create and engage in programs that strengthen our communities. To learn more about how we make more health for more people, visit our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

In 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about $16.96 billion dollars (13.3 billion euros). R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.9 percent of its net sales.

For more information please visit www.us.boehringer-ingelheim.com, or follow us on Twitter @BoehringerUS.  

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SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.