Two days in Milan with experts and patients discussing the results achieved and in perspective
The present of therapies and the future of Takeda’s new assistance and care solutions in the gastrointestinal (Gi) and immunology area are at the center of ‘ImaGIne the Future, making the difference in gastrointestinal diseases’an event that brings together today and tomorrow in Milan, at Superstudio Più in via Tortona, clinicians, patient associations and scientific societies to share the results obtained by the company in thirty years of research in the gastrointestinal area and in particular in chronic inflammatory diseases bowel problems (MICS or IBD), short bowel syndrome (SBS), gastroesophageal reflux and chronic constipation.
Takeda – explains the pharmaceutical company in a note – foresees the launch of 17 new therapies by 2025 and 8 new therapies in the Gi field in the next 7-10 years, of which 2 in Ibd, 3 in the area of celiac disease, 2 in intestinal motility and one for the liver. In the immunological area, on the other hand, in February the completion of the agreement with Nimbus Lakshmi, Inc. was announced for the commercialization of the molecule TAK-279, which has the potential to demonstrate efficacy, safety and manageability in the treatment of both psoriasis and various other immune-mediated disorders – inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
“We continue to invest in the area of gastroenterology with conviction – he says Annarita Egidi, General Manager of Takeda Italy – to team up with institutions, the scientific world and patient associations, so that pharmacological therapies can be increasingly effective and efficient, especially when combined with other fundamental assets: digitization“, to strengthen “territorial health; training of healthcare staff, and above all of nurses, essential figures in the management of Mici, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In the end, information“Patients and caregivers need to be informed about symptoms, causes, available therapies, and day-to-day management to understand their condition and make informed treatment decisions.”
“For 20 years Takeda has been a fundamental partner for us specialists dedicated to gastrointestinal pathologies, and for patients one of the companies that provides the most comprehensive answers to their health needs – he underlines Maurizio Vecchi, full professor and director of the School of Specialization in Digestive System Diseases, University of Milan – It is a company that has grown both in the pathologies it treats, taking its first steps from proton pump inhibitors to the field of inflammatory bowel diseases, arriving to supply solutions for rare conditions such as short bowel syndromeboth in the innovation of therapeutic proposals, with biological drugs, or with stem cell-based treatment for complex perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn’s disease”.
During the event i representatives of the main active associations in the area have witnessed how the quality of life of patients has changed for the better in recent years, thanks to new therapeutic formulations and ‘beyond the pill’ solutions, to care services and a general greater sensitivity. However, there is still a long way to go. “About 10 years to now – he recalls Salvatore Leone, director general of the Amici Italia association – the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel disease has improved significantly thanks to advances in diagnosis, therapy and management of complications. Treatment options have become more effective and personalized, reducing the frequency and severity of symptoms and improving bowel function. In addition, psychological and social assistance programs have been developed. In the end, awareness and education about Ibd have increased“, with a “reduction of the stigma associated with the disease”.
“A decade ago, artificial nutrition patients were invisible or a source of embarrassment and stigma in public opinion and artificial nutrition was in the common imagination, but also in clinical culture, often experienced only as end-of-life therapy – he observes Alessandra Rivella, director general of the ANNA association (National Association of Artificially Fed) – . Finally there is a greater sensitivity and a more punctual. What still needs to be implemented is the presence of both territorial and hospital nutrition centres, which, although the great work done by many regions, still remains patchy. Furthermore, inclusion in the Lea and a law governing the service would be very important”.
“People with benign chronic intestinal insufficiency and short bowel syndrome – he specifies Margherita Gregori, national secretary of the association A thread for life – have certainly seen their living conditions improved, thanks to the enormous strides made in terms of therapy and clinical practice, the increase in referral centres, the introduction of pharmaceutical products and devices that are more tolerated by patients, or for home parental nutrition useful to be able to emancipate oneself from the domestic environment (backpack-pump)”. However, the “coding of the Iicb”, chronic benign intestinal insufficiency, “by the National Health Service and the recognition of the pathology in the list of rare diseases are missing ” in many regions.
Takeda – continues the note – has brought innovation in the area of gastroenterology since 1991 with the introduction of the first proton pump inhibitor in 90 countries, a new generation of drugs for peptic ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux. Then came innovative biotechnological drugs for Mici. 2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the end of the registration studies that decreed the clinical development of vedolizumab (Gemini studies), the first ‘gut-selective’ biotechnological drug for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.
In recent years, the company has also provided new therapeutic solutions in the area of rare diseases, as for the short bowel syndrome which today affects about 800 patients in Italy (20% pediatric). Takeda – concludes the pharmaceutical company – also supports the legislative process for the recognition of SBS as a rare disease, but also the updating of the Lea and the guarantee of a uniform treatment path throughout the national territory. Finally, the attention for the access, also in Italy, of the treatments of complex perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn’s disease remains high.
Source-www.adnkronos.com