Scientific Collaboration and Innovation in Hematology

 
Medical meetings provide an array of opportunities including relationship building and collaborations with healthcare and research experts. It is essential to work together to share ideas and exchange knowledge to promote healthy living and positive health outcomes for both preventative and curative care. Over the next few days, UCB will be virtually participating in the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition.

We will be sharing best practices, discussing scientific collaborations, attending informative sessions and networking with experts to further inform our research and development efforts. UCB brings a deep heritage in epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and immunology and our approach to expanding into hematology builds on these foundations. A crucial part of the healthcare journey is establishing relationships and as a physician, I am committed to helping build and foster these connections at meetings like ASH.

At the intersection of hematology and rare disease, UCB is focused on patients living with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a rare and chronic bleeding disorder in which the immune system destroys platelets. ITP can cause an array of physical symptoms from bruising to gum, nose bleeds and more severely to intracranial  bleeds. Beyond physical symptoms, living with ITP can take a significant toll on a person’s life affecting their emotional and social interactions and cause additional stress and setbacks to their career development due to managing the disease and the uncontrollable symptoms.

The well-being of every single patient is important and it’s hard to see treatments failing. Though the path to innovative treatment options can present challenges, UCB is dedicated to addressing people’s quality of life, and their symptoms. Our rare disease experts continue to work towards a potential solution for adults living with ITP. We recently announced positive final results from the Phase 2 trial of our investigational treatment for ITP, and we are now in Phase 3 testing.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing healthcare practices and clinicians to re-evaluate their standard practices and procedures, the role and unique benefit of virtual meetings brings an opportunity to include more novel, cross-disciplinary projects. At UCB we remain steadfast in our commitment to rare disease patients and are looking forward to engaging in clinical dialogue with experts across the industry and around the world as we continue to drive solutions for patients living with ITP.