Partnering to Improve Patient Care on World Osteoporosis Day 2020

Today marks World Osteoporosis Day (WOD); a day dedicated to raising global awareness of a silent epidemic that affects 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 worldwide. Recognised every year on 20th October, WOD acts as a platform for people to discuss the physical and psychological nature of osteoporosis and risk factors for fragility fractures; as well as its broader impact on society as a whole.

Osteoporosis is a global health concern; causing more than 8.9 million fragility fractures every year. This condition can inflict a major impact on quality of life, accounting for more days spent in hospital for women over age 45 than many other diseases, including diabetes and breast cancer. And as the world’s elderly population continues to grow, the number of these fractures is predicted to rise.

In an effort to fight the growing prevalence, UCB, Amgen and the University of Oxford, announced a new collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) to support its Capture the Fracture^® (CTF) program, which aims to combat the global public health burden of osteoporosis by reducing hip and vertebral fractures by 25% by 2025. This global initiative supports implementation of post-fracture care (PFC) coordination programs in hospitals and healthcare systems to help patients prevent subsequent fractures due to osteoporosis.

“Post-Fracture Care programs are recognised as an effective way to help close the secondary fracture care gap by improving diagnosis and treatment rates as well as lessening the growing cost burden on healthcare systems,” notes Brandon Drew, Vice President and Global Head of Bone, Immunology Solutions at UCB “Since the Partnership formation, Capture the Fracture has established new PFC coordination programs across Europe, Asia Pacific, North and South America. We’re incredibly proud of the work conducted to date, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the IOF, the University of Oxford and Amgen to achieve our collective goal.”

As we continue to collaborate with organisations around the world we’re excited to be at the forefront of initiatives like the IOF’s Capture the Fracture to tackle this significant health burden that has been underestimated and overlooked by healthcare systems for far too long.

For more information about the CTF programme, visit https://www.capturethefracture.org/