EULAR 2024 - Collaboration and innovation to transform rheumatology

The burden of chronic rheumatic diseases (CRD) worldwide is huge. For example, around 18 million people worldwide live with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and it’s estimated that one person in every 150 is affected by axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). CRDs like RA, axSpA and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can have a severe impact on quality of life: relapsing and remitting in nature, the pain and loss in mobility associated with certain CRDs can make basic day-to-day-tasks a challenge. While we’ve made progress in the management of CRDs, we are more aware than ever of the significant unmet needs which remain and the work left for us to achieve our ambition of doubling the rate of remission and halving the rate of disease progression across all CRDs by 2030.

That’s why chances to connect and share knowledge with the rheumatology community are so important and why I’m particularly proud of UCB’s presence at the European Congress of Rheumatology, EULAR 2024. It’s inspiring to see the different ways we’re collectively advancing the standard of care, approaching problems from various angles but with the personal needs of the patient always at the center.

With 18 abstracts accepted at EULAR this year, the breadth and depth of our scientific contribution highlight our commitment to achieving our 2030 ambition in rheumatology. We’re at the cutting edge of advancing personalized medicine, and I’m excited for our symposia which will help show the European rheumatology community how our increased understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying various CRDs can help people achieve better control over their conditions.

In addition, I’m proud of our ability to deliver more and better-quality data on CRDs in underserved populations, particularly women of childbearing age. Women living with CRDs, along with their healthcare professionals, can often lack sufficient data and information about disease management, treatment options, and family planning. Our commitment to research in this area directly empowers women and their care providers to make informed decisions.

We wholeheartedly support UCB’s aspiration to push the standard of care in rheumatology, to move from symptomatic treatment towards long-lasting, drug-free remission, with the ultimate aim of achieving a cure for CRDs. Looking at the great research being shared at EULAR, that goal is feeling closer than ever. 

If you’re joining us in Vienna, be sure to swing by and say hi to the team – see you there!