Thousand Oaks biotechnology giant Amgen announced a collaboration agreement with Louisville, Ky.-based Humana on Aug. 17 to study conditions like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, neurologic disorders, inflammatory diseases and cancer.

The two companies currently have six projects underway focusing on improving health care quality and costs with data from Humana’s 13 million members, including wearable technology, digital apps and Bluetooth-enabled drug delivery devices.

“We hope this research results in new tools and technology that support our provider partners who are on the journey to population health and value-based care,” Laura Happe, chief pharmacy officer for Humana, said in a news release.

Additional projects are also planned, including prospective observational studies and the potential development of predictive algorithms for disease risks.

“The rising cost of disease is challenging the sustainability of our health care system in the U.S. and is motivating innovators to urgently develop new therapeutic options and partner on opportunities to improve the quality and efficiency of care and reduce financial burden to the system,” said Joshua Ofman, senior vice president of global value, access and policy at Amgen.

• Contact Marissa Nall at mnall@pacbiztimes.com.