Boehringer Ingelheim and Yale Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator collaborate to explore potential benefits of digital health technologies for adults with heart failure

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., October 15, 2020 – Boehringer Ingelheim has entered a collaboration with the Yale Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator to launch a study exploring digital health technologies for adults with heart failure. The goal of the study is to determine the impact of three digital health technologies on patient outcomes, clinical efficiencies and the improvement in patient quality of life. 

Technology partners were selected for evaluation in the study based on their ability to increase engagement in disease management and provide information to healthcare providers. They include Bodyport™, a data-driven smart scale with enhanced cardiac monitoring directly accessible by providers; Noom^®, a data-driven, live coaching app featuring personalized plans for diet and weight management; and Conversa™, an automated conversational platform designed to motivate patients to actively manage their health.

“Exploring solutions for the heart failure community to help manage this debilitating condition is a priority for Boehringer Ingelheim,” said Christine Marsh, senior vice president, Market Access, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We launched this study with Yale to help identify how digital health technology may address some of the key pain points for adults with heart failure, like the need for more frequent communication with healthcare providers in between visits and coaching to help with the daily management of the condition.”

In the U.S., heart failure affects over six million people, with more than one million people hospitalized due to the condition every year. Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump sufficient blood to the rest of the body and is the most common and severe complication of a heart attack. People with heart failure often experience breathlessness and fatigue, which can severely impact their quality of life.

The innovative study design will randomize patients to one of three technologies or usual care in a single study over six months. Considering the current telemedicine environment, adults with heart failure who are currently enrolled in a Yale Heart Failure Disease Management Clinic will be eligible to participate in the study, which requires only at-home use of the technology and no in-person meetings. All participants will receive standard of care, including regular follow-ups with their clinic providers. Three investigational arms will add one of the three digital technologies, each of which will be evaluated versus standard of care alone. Enrollment began in September with a goal of recruiting a total of 200 patients. Results will be published next year. 

Digital health technology has become increasingly important in helping people manage chronic conditions like heart failure, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to an increased reliance on telemedicine. Tools that help people actively manage health and easily track overall health status, symptoms and medications may help improve their quality of life. For healthcare providers, digital health technologies can provide real-time data to track patient outcomes, help them ensure treatment adherence and stay connected to ensure continuity of care.

“Our digital health study with Boehringer Ingelheim will move beyond evaluating if these tools work and establish if they actually help make patients’ lives better, which is how these technologies should be judged,” said F. Perry Wilson, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University. “The health of heart failure patients can change quickly, and these tools can help healthcare providers intervene before serious complications lead to hospitalizations, alleviating our overburdened healthcare system. We hope this study sets a new standard for how these digital tools are evaluated.”

This Boehringer Ingelheim and Yale collaboration supports the goals of our alliance with Eli Lilly and Company, which focuses on caring for people with and without diabetes and addressing areas of unmet medical need.

About Heart Failure
Heart failure is a progressive, debilitating and potentially fatal condition that occurs when the heart cannot supply adequate circulation to meet the body’s demands for oxygenated blood or to do so requires increased blood volume leading to fluid accumulation (congestion) in the lungs and peripheral tissues. It is a widespread condition affecting over 60 million people worldwide and expected to increase as the population ages. Heart failure is highly prevalent in people with diabetes; however, approximately half of all people with heart failure do not have diabetes.

About Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Conditions
Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly are driven to transform care for people with cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, a group of interconnected disorders that affect more than one billion people worldwide and are a leading cause of death.

The cardiovascular, renal and metabolic systems are interconnected, and share many of the same risk factors and pathological pathways along the disease continuum. Dysfunction in one system may accelerate the onset of others, resulting in progression of interconnected diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and kidney disease, which in turn leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular death. Conversely, improving the health of one system can lead to positive effects throughout the others.

Through our research and treatments, our goal is to support people’s health, restoring the harmony between the interconnected cardio-renal-metabolic systems and reducing their risk of serious complications. As part of our commitment to those whose health is jeopardized by cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, we will continue embracing a multidisciplinary approach towards care and focusing our resources on filling treatment gaps.

About Boehringer Ingelheim
Making new and better medicines for humans and animals is at the heart of what we do. Our mission is to create breakthrough therapies that change lives. Since its founding in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is independent and family-owned. We have the freedom to pursue our long-term vision, looking ahead to identify the health challenges of the future and targeting those areas of need where we can do the most good.

As a world-leading, research-driven pharmaceutical company, more than 51,000 employees create value through innovation daily for our three business areas: Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. In 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around $21.3 billion (19 billion euros). Our significant investment of over $3.9 billion (3.5 billion euros) in R&D drives innovation, enabling the next generation of medicines that save lives and improve quality of life.

We realize more scientific opportunities by embracing the power of partnership and diversity of experts across the life-science community. By working together, we accelerate the delivery of the next medical breakthrough that will transform the lives of patients now, and in generations to come.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation and is part of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies. In addition, there are Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health in Duluth, GA and Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont, Inc. in Fremont, CA.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and strengthening our communities. Please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.us/csr to learn more about Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

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

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