PatientsLikeMe and AstraZeneca have signed a five-year agreement to provide access to PatientsLikeMe’s global network in support of AstraZeneca’s patient-driven research initiatives. AstraZeneca will use patient-reported data from PatientsLikeMe to shape future medicine development and help improve outcomes across its main therapeutic areas, with an initial focus on respiratory disease, lupus, diabetes and oncology.

“Understanding what patients are experiencing every day and how they define the value of their treatments are fundamental to our ability to push the boundaries of science in developing the next-generation of medicines,” said Briggs Morrison, executive vice president, Global Medicines Development, AstraZeneca. “Our partnership with PatientsLikeMe will help us to harness the important perspectives of patients through their advanced technology and real-world, real-time evidence to support our research and development programs.”

The agreement is the latest to embrace PatientsLikeMe’s global network, which delivers a unique depth and breadth of data about the patient. Ed Godber, executive vice president of Life Sciences Ventures, said the wide-ranging collaboration with AstraZeneca also marks a significant step in realizing PatientsLikeMe’s mission to make patients true partners in science.