World Psoriasis Day 2021: Uniting for action

At UCB, everything we do starts with one simple question: “How will this create value for patients now and in the future?”

Why? Because we have a fundamental, continual commitment to enable patients, their caregivers, and their families to live their best lives. By focusing our immunology work on specific patient populations where we can make a meaningful difference, we move ever closer to achieving this.

Today, on World Psoriasis Day, we stand united with the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) to shine a light on the impact that psoriasis has on patients. Since 1971, IFPA has been effectively advocating for the psoriatic disease community and today its members represent over 60 million people living with psoriatic disease worldwide.  IFPA aims to unite, strengthen and lead the global community to improve the lives of people affected by psoriatic disease.

Each year on October 29, World Psoriasis Day allows us to reflect on the important victories that have been achieved by IFPA and its supporters, whilst offering an opportunity to raise awareness of the many challenges and unmet needs still facing those living with psoriatic disease today.

We understand that psoriasis is more than just a skin disease. People with psoriasis can experience feelings of stigmatization, shame, embarrassment, anger and worry and frequently report difficulties at work and disrupted leisure activities. The social and emotional burdens of psoriasis, together with the visible symptoms, can significantly impact patients’ quality of life. By applying these important insights to inform our science, we can seek to deliver new options that can truly address patients’ needs and improve their quality of life.

At UCB, we are proud to be a long-term supporter of IFPA and of World Psoriasis Day, which this year follows the theme of ‘United’ – a theme that we are pleased to champion. We know that innovation cannot be delivered alone and recognize the importance of our collaborations with the dermatology community to better meet the evolving needs of patients. For this reason, we engage in partnerships with researchers, clinicians, and advocacy groups from around the globe. These partnerships also underpin our ongoing scientific and medical education programs in dermatology.

Today and every day, my UCB colleagues and I strive to advance science in immunology. By uniting to address patients’ unmet needs, support clinically meaningful research and build strong, collaborative advocacy partnerships, we can all help to make a meaningful difference for people living with psoriasis.