- Mollie Pearce, star of the UK reality TV show ‘The Traitors’ who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), at the age of 11, partners with Celltrion to launch a new campaign.
- World IBD Day 2024 sees Celltrion launch the second installation of the Where’s Crohn’s & Colitis (CC)? campaign, focused on global inequalities in access to IBD care and treatment.
- Mollie shares her experiences with UC to highlight the need for sustainable, equitable care that bridges the gap from diagnosis to treatment for all.
INCHEON, South Korea–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Celltrion partners with TV star Mollie Pearce to launch the second installation of the Where’s Crohn’s & Colitis (CC)? campaign for this year’s World IBD Day (19 May 2024).
The campaign focuses on access to IBD care and treatment as the burden of the condition rises globally1. Widening inequalities and significant variations in access across the globe, and even within countries, is impacting people’s experience of IBD care and ultimately their outcomes2.
Through raising awareness of the factors driving these inequalities and potential solutions, the campaign hopes to encourage improved access to a timely diagnosis, high quality care and innovative treatments.
Innovations in treatments, including advances in treatment administration that enable people to access at-home injectable treatment (versus hospital-based treatment), allows people to have an improved quality of life whilst managing their condition3.
The campaign encourages people to look beyond what they would usually see, to make the invisible condition, visible. In doing so, users are taken on a journey across borders to explore inequalities in IBD at a global scale and how these could be overcome.
Reality TV star Mollie Pearce, a contestant on the popular UK show ‘The Traitors’, partners with Celltrion to launch the campaign. Mollie was diagnosed with UC when she was 11 years old and has openly shared her experiences living with the disease as an advocate for the IBD community, breaking down stigma and inspiring others to seek the care that works best for them.
Mollie Pearce, media personality and finalist on ‘The Traitors’, commented: “Living with a condition such as UC comes with so many challenges – from sometimes not being able to leave the house to missing out on social occasions with friends. That’s why I’m so passionate about being an advocate for the IBD community and helping others to break down barriers and do the things they never thought were possible once they were diagnosed.
“The Where’s CC? campaign is really close to my heart. I want to do all I can to ensure everyone is treated as an individual and gets the care they deserve.”
Mr. Kevin Byoung Seo Choi, Executive VP and head of the marketing division at Celltrion, said: “It is simply unacceptable that there are so many barriers in accessing IBD care. From geographic disparities in access to infusion centers to health system limitations and education, there is an urgent need to tackle the root cause of inequalities globally so that all patients can access potentially life-changing therapies.
“We are committed to tackling inequalities and ensuring a sustainable future for all IBD patients. The Where’s CC? campaign is our latest step in making this a reality through raising awareness and advocating for change.”
The first instalment of the Where’s CC? campaign, launched for World IBD Day 2023, focused on age-related inequalities in IBD, and how the challenges that come with the condition can vary at different stages of life.
Visit www.WhereisCC.com to learn more about the Where’s CC? campaign and inequalities in access to care and treatment in IBD, and how these can be overcome to improve IBD outcomes for all.
World IBD Day is an annual awareness campaign led by patient organisations representing over 50 countries on five continents and coordinated by the European Federation of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA)4.
ABOUT INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD)
IBD is an umbrella term used to describe conditions including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Collectively, IBD impacts over 10 million people worldwide with incidence rates rapidly increasing across the world5.
IBD is a long-term condition and there may be times when the symptoms are severe, known as a flare-up, and times when there are no or few symptoms, known as remission. Common symptoms of IBD include pain, cramping or swelling in the stomach, episodes of diarrhoea, weight loss and extreme tiredness6. IBD can appear for the first time at any age, however, diagnosis most commonly takes place between the ages of 10 and 405.
Treatment for IBD can be transformative for patients’ lives, reducing the impact of the condition on their lives by minimising flare-ups and maintaining remission. In recent years, the increasing availability of new treatments has transformed IBD patient care.
ABOUT ‘THE TRAITORS’
‘The Traitors’ is a British reality TV series involving a group of players who are seemingly focused on a common goal – the ‘faithfuls’ must eliminate all the ‘traitors’ from the group. Mollie Pearce appeared in Series Two of the programme, making it to the final where she cast the deciding vote of the series.
ABOUT CELLTRION
Celltrion is a leading biopharmaceutical company that specializes in research, development and manufacturing of innovative therapeutics that improve people’s lives worldwide. The company’s portfolio of anti-TNF therapies spans a number of indications across distinct therapy areas: immunology, hemato-oncology and ophthalmology. We are dedicated to expanding patient access to life-changing biologic therapies while generating healthcare sustainability with meaningful cost savings for patients worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.celltrion.com/en-us.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT
Certain information set forth in this press release contains statements related to our future business and financial performance and future events or developments involving Celltrion/Celltrion Healthcare that may constitute forward-looking statements, under pertinent securities laws.
These statements may be identified by words such as “prepares”, “hopes to”, “upcoming”, ”plans to”, “aims to”, “to be launched”, “is preparing, “once gained”, “could”, “with the aim of”, “may”, “once identified”, “will”, “working towards”, “is due”, “become available”, “has potential to”, the negative of these words or such other variations thereon or comparable terminology.
In addition, our representatives may make oral forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of Celltrion/Celltrion Healthcare’s management, of which many are beyond its control.
Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand management’s beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them.
Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what management of Celltrion/Celltrion Healthcare believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Celltrion/Celltrion Healthcare undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
References
1 The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Promoting equity in inflammatory bowel disease: a global approach to care. Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(23)00368-0/abstract#back-bib4 [Accessed: May 2024]
2 Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. P018 Inequalities in healthcare access, experience and outcomes in adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A scoping review. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/18/Supplement_1/i269/7586146 [Accessed: May 2024]
3 BMC Proceedings. Intravenous versus subcutaneous delivery of biotherapeutics in IBD: an expert’s and patient’s perspective. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8654488/#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20the%20subcutaneous%20application%20of%20drugs%20include,are%20able%20to%20administer%20their%20treatments%20at%20home. [Accessed: May 2024]
4 EFCCA. World IBD Day. Available at: https://worldibdday.org/ [Accessed: May 2024]
5 EFCCA. What is IBD? Available at: https://efcca.org/content/what-ibd [Accessed: May 2024]
6 NHS. Inflammatory bowel disease. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease/ [Accessed: May 2024]
Contacts
Holly Barber
hbarber@hanovercomms.com
+44 (0) 7759 301620