Tillotts Announces Results of European Survey in Ulcerative Colitis at ECCO 2015 Suggesting Need to Improve Education and Adherence; Launches UCandME™ Toolbox for Physicians

RHEINFELDEN, Switzerland, February 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

• Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as ulcerative colitis (UC), affect up to three million people in Europe^[1]  with the majority of  UC patients reporting that their condition has negatively affected their social and personal life
• Tillotts  survey results presented at ECCO show  that 93  percent of people with UC  have low to medium adherence to medication^[2], putting them at five times greater risk of relapse^[3]
• Tillotts partners with leading medical experts to create UCandME™ toolbox to help the gastroenterology community identify patients' needs and individualize disease management  

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Tillotts Pharma announced today results from a new European survey that revealed more than 9 out of 10 people with ulcerative colitis (UC) have low to medium adherence to their medication^[2], putting them at five times greater risk of relapse^[3]. Based on the findings of the survey, Tillotts partnered with a scientific committee of leading medical experts to develop the UCandME™ toolbox to further support the gastroenterology community in improving patient adherence and education. The data were presented today at the 10^th Congress of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) in Barcelona, Spain^[2].

Healthcare professionals can access the password and username protected UCandME™ toolbox at http://www.ucandme.org.  

UC is one of several inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and involves chronic inflammation of the bowel. Unlike Crohn's disease, which can occur anywhere along the digestive tract, UC only affects the colon and rectum. Symptoms vary, but often include abdominal pain and diarrhea. Prevalence and diagnosis of UC continues to rise^[4].

The survey was conducted in order to understand the needs, concerns and attitudes of people with UC. 507 people with UC and 27 healthcare professionals from the UK, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic were interviewed.

There were multiple reasons for non-adherence to medication^[2], such as:

• Patients forgetting to take their medication (51 percent)
• Stopping medication once they felt better (21 percent)
• Fear of side effects (19 percent)

The majority of healthcare professionals believed that understanding their patients' needs and concerns help them better understand and manage their patients.

"If left untreated, UC can deteriorate over time, leading to an increased severity of symptoms, more frequent relapses, and possibly surgery," said Professor Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, chair of the UCandME™ scientific committee and head of the IBD unit at Nancy University Hospital, France. "UCandME™ provides an incredibly valuable toolbox, which can help us offer patients the education they need to achieve better results in UC management."

The UCandME™ toolbox features a wide range of digital and physical resources, including a questionnaire to define patient needs and concerns and an educational pack that can be tailored to individuals. The program was developed in partnership with the UCandME™ scientific committee composed of leading medical experts. It is being launched on a global level at ECCO 2015 and will be made available in European countries throughout 2015 and 2016.

"In Europe, up to three million people suffer from IBDs, such as UC, which can strongly reduce their quality of life," said Mattias Norrman, Chief Operations Officer and Member of the Executive Committee at Tillotts Pharma. "Tillotts is committed to partnering with healthcare professionals to provide support, beyond medication, that can help to improve outcomes for the millions of people with gastrointestinal diseases."

For more information, contact Federica Ricatto, Senior Communications Manager:
Phone: +41-61-935-2749
Email: [email protected]

About Tillotts  

Tillotts Pharma AG, part of the Zeria Group, is a fast-growing specialty pharma company with 200 employees in Switzerland and abroad. Tillotts is dedicated to the development, in/out-licensing and commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products, medical devices and diagnostics, all in the field of gastroenterology. Please visit our website http://www.tillotts.com.

Tillotts successfully markets its own products Asacol^® and Colpermin^® as well as in-licensed products, such as Simtomax^®, in over 55 countries through its own affiliates within Europe and a carefully chosen network of gastroenterology-focused marketing partners throughout the world.

About Zeria 

Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., founded in 1955, based in Tokyo, Japan, focuses on R&D, manufacturing and sales of prescription drugs as well as OTC products. The company is listed on the First Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange (Stock code: 4559). Zeria holds a leading position within the gastroenterology field in Japan and operates internationally through a number of subsidiaries. For more information about Zeria please visit http://www.zeria.co.jp.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. Tillotts' trademarks Asacol^®, Octasa^®, Asacolon^®, Colpermin^®, are either registered or applied for in up to 70 countries. The trademark Asacol^® is a registered trademark by Actavis in the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom. Asacol^® is a registered trademark in Italy by Giuliani. Colpermin^® is a registered trademark by Johnson & Johnson for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

References 

1. Burisch J et al. The burden of inflammatory bowel disease in Europe. J Crohns Colitis. 2013 May;7(4):322-337.
2. Vavricka S, Hofmann R, Guillaume X, et al. prevalence and reasons for drug non-adherence in a European cohort of ulcerative colitis: the UCandME^TM survey, Poster P496 presented at the 10th Congress of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation, 2015.
3. Kane S, Huo D, Aikens J et al. Medication nonadherence and the outcomes of patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis. Am J Med. 2003 Jan; 114(1):39-43.
4. Loftus CG, Edward V, Loftus Jr et al. Update on the incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1940-2000. Inflamm Bowel Dis, 13: 254-261.

SOURCE Tillotts Pharma AG