Throughout my career and now in my role as head of U.S. Immunology at UCB, the stories I hear from patients inspire my work each day. At UCB, we are dedicated to developing solutions for people living with chronic immune-mediated diseases, including psoriatic arthritis (PsA)—which can affect about 30 percent of people living with psoriasis—as well as lesser-known forms of arthritis like non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis 
(AS).^1,2

At the heart of our commitment to addressing gaps in care lies innovation. I’m proud to be advancing care with a new solution now available for healthcare providers and their patients.

We know severe chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases not only affect physical health but can also impact a person’s ability to take part in everyday activities such as participating in hobbies and recreational activities, socializing with loved ones, and completing household chores.^2,3 People living with these diseases often struggle to find long-term disease management solutions that work for them.³

That’s why our focus in immunology at UCB is developing and providing treatments so that people living with rheumatic or dermatologic diseases, particularly those who have struggled with treatment options, can strive to live their best lives, tackling the activities that once felt like a burden. 

UCB is also leading the way in setting higher standards for treatments across immunology. For example, in our PsA clinical trials, we used the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)50 endpoint, which signifies a 50% improvement in symptoms and disease, as a measure of success.^4,5 This endpoint is more rigorous than the more commonly used ACR20, the 20% improvement marker. By setting higher standards, we prioritize developing medicines that make a significant impact on patient health.

We have a unique pipeline aiming to serve people living with an array of chronic inflammatory conditions with high unmet needs. As our pipeline grows, our approach will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the patient communities we aim to serve. I am confident our bold and exciting research programs will help change the future of immunology care within the next decade. You can learn more about UCB's work in rheumatology here.
 

References
 

¹Mease, P. J., Gladman, D. D., Papp, et al.; Prevalence of rheumatologist-diagnosed psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis in European/North American dermatology clinics. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2013;69(5), 729-735. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2013.07.023.
²Furst DE and Louie JA. Targeting inflammatory pathways in axial spondyloarthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2019;21(1):135.
³Theis KA, Brady TJ, Helmick CG, et al. Associations of Arthritis-Attributable Interference with Routine Life Activities: A Modifiable Source of Compromised Quality-of-Life. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2019;1(7):412-423.
⁴McInnes IB, Asahina A, Coates LC, et al. Bimekizumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis, naive to biologic treatment: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (BE OPTIMAL). Lancet. 2023;401(10370):25-37.
⁵Merola JF, Landewé R, McInnes IB, et al. Bimekizumab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis and previous inadequate response or intolerance to tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (BE COMPLETE). Lancet. 2023;401(10370):38-48. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02303-0.