Salix Supports Liver Awareness Month With New Educational Initiatives
Educational Online Resource Offers Tools for Early Detection of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy in Chronic Liver Disease Patients
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Oct. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) and its gastroenterology business, Salix Pharmaceuticals ("Salix"), one of the largest specialty pharmaceutical companies in the world committed to the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, today announced the launch of a series of educational initiatives and resources aimed to reach health care providers and their patients with chronic liver disease. As part of Salix's support for Liver Awareness Month, the company has launched a new, digital destination, "LiverHEalthNow," which offers tools to support the management of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy (OHE) in chronic liver disease patients.
According to the American Liver Foundation,1 approximately 30 million people in the U.S. have some form of liver disease.2 Cirrhosis is a long-term chronic liver disease.3 OHE is a primary complication of cirrhosis.4
"At Salix, we are committed to raising awareness of OHE, its risk factors and the need for early detection given that OHE patients are at a high risk for hospital readmission and short survival rates,"5,6 said Robert Spurr, president, Salix Pharmaceuticals. "In addition to our longstanding partnerships with advocacy and professional organizations, we're proud to launch our new online LiverHEalthNow resource, which is designed to strengthen physician-patient communication, and hopefully, help reduce the burden of a delayed diagnosis in OHE patients."
Salix's Liver Awareness Month initiatives include:
- LiverHEalthNow
A new, online resource designed to support the management of patients suffering from chronic liver disease and OHE. LiverHEalthNow offers tools to help screen patients, define an OHE episode and coordinate care. For more information, visit LiverHEALTHnow.com. - Raising Awareness Through Social Media
Salix will join the national conversation about OHE through social media, leveraging its Twitter and LinkedIn platforms to galvanize awareness of OHE's prevalence and symptoms. To take part, connect with Salix on Twitter and LinkedIn. - Advocacy Support
As a corporate council member of the American Liver Foundation (ALF), Salix is a sponsor of The American Debates, The Progression of Liver Disease campaign and Virtual Liver Life Walks.
About Salix
Salix Pharmaceuticals is one of the largest specialty pharmaceutical companies in the world committed to the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. For more than 30 years, Salix has licensed, developed, and marketed innovative products to improve patients' lives and arm health care providers with life-changing solutions for many chronic and debilitating conditions. Salix currently markets its product line to U.S. health care providers through an expanded sales force that focuses on gastroenterology, hepatology, pain specialists and primary care. Salix is headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey. For more information about Salix, visit www.Salix.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Bausch Health
Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) is a global company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. We develop, manufacture and market a range of pharmaceutical, medical device and over-the-counter products, primarily in the therapeutic areas of eye health, gastroenterology and dermatology. We are delivering on our commitments as we build an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health. More information can be found at www.bauschhealth.com.
Forward-looking Statements
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©2020 Salix Pharmaceuticals or its affiliates.
1 American Liver Foundation. Advocacy. [online] Available at: https://liverfoundation.org/about-us/advocacy/?vvsrc=%2FBlogPosts%2F556%3Fvvsn%3DBAAAAAurANsIAA0WM9R7BAA. Accessed Sept. 29, 2020.
2 American Liver Foundation. Advocacy. [online] Available at: https://liverfoundation.org/about-us/advocacy/?vvsrc=%2FBlogPosts%2F556%3Fvvsn%3DBAAAAAurANsIAA0WM9R7BAA. Accessed Sept. 29, 2020.
3 2020. Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis. [online] Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-liver-disease-cirrhosis#:~:text=points%20about%20cirrhosis-,Cirrhosis%20is%20when%20scar%20tissue%20replaces%20healthy%20liver%20tissue.,other%20viruses%2C%20and%20alcohol%20abuse. Accessed Sept. 29, 2020.
4 Vilstrup, H., Amodio, P., Bajaj, J., Cordoba, J., Ferenci, P., Mullen, K.D., Weissenborn, K. and Wong, P. (2014), Hepatic encephalopathy in chronic liver disease: 2014 Practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study Of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Hepatology, 60: 715-735. doi:10.1002/hep.27210.
5 Date on file
6 Bustamante J, Rimola A, Ventura P-J, et al. Prognostic significance of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis. J Hepatol. 1999;30(5):890-895.
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SOURCE Bausch Health Companies Inc.
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