UCB’s journey in rare diseases began with the personal experience of a UCB scientist whose wife was living with a rare autoimmune disease. He was inspired by his wife’s experiences, and frustrated with available treatment options. He took his frustration and turned it into drive and innovation. Supported by UCB leadership, he applied his expertise to improve the care and support for those like his wife. As a continuation of that heritage, UCB has invested and worked hard over decades to prioritize innovation into developing investigational treatments for rare diseases.

Today, within the UCB Rare Disease Portfolio, we now have two FDA-approved targeted therapies, with two different mechanisms of action, to address the individual needs of adult patients living with generalized myasthenia gravis. These new FDA-approved treatment options provide the opportunity for U.S. clinicians to tailor the therapeutic approaches for their patients living with this rare, chronic disease that afflicts 36,000 to 60,000 people living in the U.S.¹

For UCB, it is as much about hitting and delivering on the scientific and regulatory milestones as it is about reaching patients where they are, to provide personalized care and support solutions.

Our ONWARD patient support program was co-created with the help of rare disease patients and healthcare providers to help patients live their best lives.^* Each eligible patient will be paired with a dedicated Care Coordinator who will help patients and their caregivers navigate the complexities of living with a rare disease.^† Long-term, ONWARD will scale to support additional rare disease patients as we grow our UCB Rare Disease Portfolio if/when potential additional investigational UCB medicines are approved.

While we have delivered on our ambition to create a UCB Rare Disease Portfolio, we still continue the dialogue by asking a simple question — how do we create patient value? — because it is how we show up for patients that make up the moments that matter to them. When we continue to remain true to being Patient-First, we shoulder our responsibility with the drive and ambition to deliver unique solutions for people living with rare diseases. 

^* ONWARD is provided as a service of UCB and is intended to support the appropriate use of UCB medicines.  ONWARD may be amended or canceled at any time without notice. Some program and eligibility restrictions may apply.
^† ONWARD does not provide medical advice and does not replace the care of the healthcare provider. Care Coordinators will refer you to your healthcare provider for any treatment-related questions.

References

1. Howard, James F. Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. Clinical Overview of MG. https://myasthenia.org/Professionals/Clinical-Overview-of-MG. Accessed August 2023

The content of this article is intended for a U.S. audience only.

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