Bayer and Henry Ford Health Form Strategic Partnership to Expand Patient Access to Clinical Trials and Accelerate Medical Innovation
Bayer, a global life sciences company with a broad portfolio spanning pharmaceuticals, consumer health, and crop science, has announced a strategic partnership with Henry Ford Health aimed at expanding patient access to clinical trials and advancing the development of innovative therapies. The collaboration combines Bayer’s extensive expertise in global drug development with Henry Ford Health’s established clinical research infrastructure, creating a framework designed to make clinical studies more accessible, inclusive, and efficient.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to improving how clinical research is conducted by integrating advanced technologies, data-driven strategies, and community-based healthcare delivery. By working together throughout the clinical trial process, the two organizations hope to reduce barriers that often prevent patients from participating in research while accelerating the evaluation of promising new therapies for some of today’s most pressing medical conditions.
Initially, the collaboration will focus on therapeutic areas that align with Bayer’s expanding research pipeline, including cardiovascular and renal diseases, oncology, and women’s health. Over time, the alliance is expected to broaden into additional areas of medical research while also supporting innovations in artificial intelligence, healthcare analytics, real-world evidence generation, and clinical data science.
Expanding Access to Clinical Research
Clinical trials play a critical role in advancing medical science by evaluating the safety and effectiveness of investigational treatments before they become widely available. For many patients, participation in a clinical trial offers early access to cutting-edge therapies that are not yet commercially available and may represent new options when existing treatments are limited.
Despite their importance, participation in clinical research remains relatively low. Many patients face obstacles such as limited awareness of available studies, geographic distance from research centers, transportation challenges, complex enrollment procedures, and other logistical barriers.
The new partnership seeks to address these challenges by embedding clinical research more closely within the healthcare settings where patients already receive routine medical care. Through closer collaboration between Bayer and Henry Ford Health, eligible patients will have greater opportunities to learn about and participate in clinical trials without needing to navigate entirely separate research systems.
By making clinical studies more accessible, the organizations aim to improve patient participation while generating stronger and more representative clinical data.
Combining Complementary Expertise
The partnership brings together two organizations with complementary strengths in medical research and healthcare delivery.
Bayer contributes decades of experience in pharmaceutical research, global clinical development, regulatory strategy, and drug commercialization. The company maintains an extensive pipeline of investigational medicines spanning multiple therapeutic areas and continually invests in innovative approaches to accelerate the development of new treatments.
Henry Ford Health, meanwhile, is recognized for its comprehensive clinical research program, integrated healthcare network, and long-standing commitment to academic medicine. Serving a large and diverse patient population, the health system has established expertise in conducting complex clinical studies while delivering high-quality patient care across numerous medical specialties.
Together, the organizations aim to streamline clinical development by integrating scientific expertise with real-world healthcare delivery.
Initial Focus on High-Impact Disease Areas
The collaboration will initially prioritize several therapeutic areas where significant unmet medical needs continue to exist and where Bayer maintains active research programs.
Cardiovascular and Renal Diseases
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, while chronic kidney disease affects hundreds of millions of people and frequently progresses without early symptoms.
The partnership will support research involving conditions such as:
- Heart failure
- Stroke
- Thrombosis
- Chronic kidney disease
These diseases often require long-term treatment and represent major public health challenges. By expanding access to clinical trials in these areas, Bayer and Henry Ford Health hope to accelerate the development of new therapies capable of improving patient outcomes.
Oncology
Cancer research will represent another major focus of the collaboration.
Bayer continues to develop innovative oncology therapies, including precision medicines and targeted treatment approaches designed to address advanced cancers.
Through Henry Ford Health’s extensive oncology programs and diverse patient population, the partnership aims to facilitate enrollment into clinical studies evaluating next-generation cancer therapies.
Expanding access to investigational treatments may provide additional options for patients with advanced or difficult-to-treat cancers while contributing to broader advances in oncology research.
Women’s Health
The alliance will also emphasize women’s health, an area that has historically received comparatively less research attention despite affecting millions of individuals worldwide.
Initial research efforts will include treatments for:
- Menopausal symptoms
- Gynecologic disorders
- Other women’s health conditions included within Bayer’s development portfolio
Improving access to clinical studies in these therapeutic areas may help accelerate the availability of innovative treatment options for women facing a range of chronic and quality-of-life-impacting conditions.
Designing Smarter Clinical Trials
Beyond expanding patient access, Bayer and Henry Ford Health intend to modernize how clinical trials are designed and conducted.
The organizations plan to collaborate throughout every stage of the research process, from protocol development to patient recruitment and data analysis.
A major objective involves using digital technologies and healthcare data to improve study efficiency.
By leveraging clinical information and advanced analytics, investigators hope to design trials that:
- Better reflect real-world patient populations
- Identify eligible participants more efficiently
- Reduce unnecessary complexity
- Improve operational efficiency
- Shorten development timelines
More efficient trial design can help accelerate the development of promising therapies while reducing burdens for both investigators and participants.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare Data
One of the partnership’s most forward-looking components involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare analytics, and electronic health record (EHR) data.
The organizations plan to collaborate on initiatives that use these technologies to enhance several aspects of clinical research.
Potential applications include:
- Identifying patients who may qualify for clinical trials
- Optimizing study design
- Supporting clinical decision-making
- Improving participant recruitment
- Enhancing data analysis
- Increasing operational efficiency
Artificial intelligence has emerged as an increasingly valuable tool in pharmaceutical research, helping researchers analyze complex datasets, recognize patterns, and identify opportunities for improving study performance.
When combined with electronic health record data, these technologies may enable investigators to match patients with appropriate clinical studies more effectively while minimizing delays in recruitment.
Expanding Real-World Evidence Generation
In addition to traditional clinical trials, Bayer and Henry Ford Health plan to collaborate on generating real-world evidence (RWE).
Unlike controlled clinical trials, real-world evidence examines how therapies perform during routine clinical practice after broader patient populations begin using them.
These data can provide important insights into:
- Long-term treatment effectiveness
- Safety in diverse populations
- Healthcare utilization
- Patient outcomes
- Treatment adherence
Combining clinical trial findings with real-world evidence allows researchers, healthcare providers, and regulatory agencies to develop a more comprehensive understanding of therapeutic performance.
The partnership intends to leverage Henry Ford Health’s extensive clinical data resources to support these efforts.
Supporting Innovation in Healthcare Data Science
Beyond research itself, the collaboration also includes plans to strengthen education and innovation in healthcare data science.
As clinical research becomes increasingly data-intensive, organizations require professionals capable of managing complex datasets, applying advanced analytical methods, and integrating artificial intelligence into medical research.
By supporting training initiatives and scientific collaboration, Bayer and Henry Ford Health hope to contribute to the continued evolution of data-driven healthcare research.
These activities may also help develop new methodologies for future clinical studies while expanding expertise across both organizations.
Leadership Highlights Patient-Centered Goals
Dr. David Lanfear, Chief Scientific Officer for Henry Ford Health, emphasized that clinical trials often provide patients with their earliest opportunity to receive innovative therapies.
According to Lanfear, the collaboration seeks to make clinical research more accessible, reduce barriers to participation, accelerate therapeutic development, and ensure that a greater number of patients benefit from advances in medical science.
He noted that integrating Bayer’s global research capabilities with Henry Ford Health’s clinical expertise creates opportunities to bring high-quality clinical studies directly into the communities served by the health system.
Lanfear also emphasized the importance of ensuring that research reflects the needs of diverse patient populations, ultimately strengthening both scientific outcomes and healthcare equity.
Bayer Emphasizes Global Drug Development Strategy
Christoph Koenen, Head of Clinical Development & Operations at Bayer, explained that the company continuously seeks new approaches to accelerate innovation and improve patient access to investigational therapies.
He noted that partnerships with healthcare institutions such as Henry Ford Health enable Bayer to conduct research within communities where patients already receive care, reducing logistical barriers while improving opportunities for participation.
According to Koenen, this shared commitment to patient-centered research aligns closely with Bayer’s broader strategy of advancing innovative therapies for diseases affecting millions of people worldwide.
Part of a Broader Research Network
Henry Ford Health becomes only the fourth academic health system in the United States selected to participate in Bayer’s strategic research collaboration model.
The selection reflects the health system’s:
- Strong clinical research capabilities
- Integrated healthcare delivery network
- Diverse patient population
- Experience conducting complex clinical studies
The collaboration also follows Bayer’s earlier announcement of a similar strategic alliance involving the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, UCHealth, and Children’s Hospital Colorado, demonstrating the company’s expanding network of academic research partnerships.
By building relationships with leading healthcare institutions across the United States, Bayer aims to create collaborative ecosystems capable of accelerating therapeutic development while increasing patient access to clinical innovation.
The partnership between Bayer and Henry Ford Health represents a significant step toward modernizing clinical research through collaboration, technology, and patient-centered care. By combining Bayer’s global drug development expertise with Henry Ford Health’s extensive clinical research capabilities, the organizations aim to expand access to innovative clinical trials while improving the efficiency and inclusiveness of therapeutic development.
With an initial focus on cardiovascular and renal diseases, oncology, and women’s health, the collaboration addresses areas of substantial unmet medical need while laying the groundwork for broader scientific partnerships in the future. Through the integration of artificial intelligence, electronic health records, real-world evidence, and healthcare data science, the alliance seeks to create smarter clinical trials that better reflect real-world patient populations and accelerate the delivery of new treatments. As the partnership evolves, both organizations hope to help bring promising medical innovations to patients sooner while strengthening the future of clinical research across diverse communities.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses.
At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2025, the Group employed around 88,000 people and had sales of 45.6 billion euros. R&D expenses amounted to 5.8 billion euros.
About Henry Ford Health
Serving communities across Michigan and beyond, Henry Ford Health is a premier healthcare organization dedicated to helping people live their best lives. More than 50,000 team members provide care and service at hundreds of locations, offering everything from primary, preventive and urgent care to specialized treatment, health coverage, pharmacy and vision services, home health, and virtual care.
Henry Ford Health is also a leading academic health system advancing the future of medicine through innovation, clinical trials, translational research, and the education of healthcare professionals. Henry Ford’s clinical research is part of Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences, accelerating discovery across biomedical and population health research while training the next generation of healthcare providers and scientists. Together, this work is focused on breakthroughs in prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and health and wellness.