SPARCC
Our first virtual event of the year on October 16, 2020.
Pfizer is ramping up its commitment to the education and support of patients suffering from psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through a $100,000 donation from the ENBREL team to the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC), a nationwide group of rheumatologists and scientists.
Bernard Michaud, Sr. Brand Manager and James Carver, National Business Manager along with colleagues from Amgen present donation to SPARCC.
“This donation is indicative of our commitment to patients and physicians in this disease area,” says Bernard Michaud, Senior Brand Manager for immunology at Pfizer. “SPARCC is perhaps the only group in the world that combines education, patient support and research around PsA and AS.”
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) refers to a group of diseases, including PsA and AS, which are characterized by chronic inflammation of the pelvic joints and spine. It is frequently accompanied by arthritis in a number of
other joints. SpA affects at least the same number of Canadians as rheumatoid arthritis (1 in 100 people) but, until recently, SpA was under-recognized and under-studied in Canada.
“there are great treatments available these days which can not only help relieve the pain of SpA but also stop the progression of the disease.”
Bernard Michaud, Sr. Brand Manager
Diagnosis Delays
“We’ve been partners with SPARCC since the group started five years ago,” says Bernard, who is responsible for the rheumatology and dermatology indication of ENBREL (ENBREL is a co-promoted product between Pfizer and Amgen). “But this year we’re accelerating our support around treatment and education because the needs are great in Canada. There are large numbers of patients who are not getting diagnosed quickly enough. The average amount of time to get those patients properly diagnosed is five to eight years and often they are not treated properly even when diagnosed.”
“Pfizer’s donation will help ensure there is proper education for patients and proper follow-up with those patients,” he adds.
With the financial support from Pfizer’s ENBREL team, SPARCC will generate awareness and information about SpA through public forums in major Canadian cities where research and disease experts will present the most recent science as well as the most recent developments in diagnosis and treatment of those conditions. In addition, the donation will facilitate the activities of SPARCC in terms of bringing members together, planning for the future and establishing research priorities.
Common Commitment
“Both Pfizer and SPARCC share an understanding of the urgency here,” says Bernard. “There needs to be better education for patients so that they can be diagnosed properly and find appropriate treatment for their disease as early as possible because their condition becomes irreversible over time. By the same token, there are great treatments available these days which can not only help relieve the pain of SpA but also stop the progression of the disease.”
The SPARCC team headed down to Guadalajara Mexico for a Collaborative Symposium in Spondyloarthritis. Dr. Robert Lambert, Dr. Michele Zummer, Dr. Robert Inman, Dr. Sherry Rohekar, Dr. Olga Ziouzina, Dr. Nigil Haroon, Dr. Jonathon Chan, Dr. Shirley Tse.
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