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- Allergan is committed to drive more awareness levels across the Kingdom around most prevalent eye conditions including glaucoma, ocular surface disease and retinal diseases, in the hopes to drive better health outcomes in the region[1]
Al Riyadh: Allergan, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, recently participated at the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of Saudi Ophthalmological Society (SOS) held in Al Riyadh, by presenting data from key opinion leaders in the field of eye care and providing scientific insight. The conference focused on shedding light in new developments surrounding prevalent eye diseases that include cataract, retina, prevention of blindness, pediatric ophthalmology, glaucoma as well as genetics.
Allergan works with organizations within the Saudi healthcare environment, such as the SOS, and actively seeks to contribute to scientific events to drive awareness programs across the Kingdom in areas such as retinal disease, glaucoma and dry-eye, and to increase patient education on key unmet medical needs to result in optimized health outcomes. In addition, the company’s participation comes as part of its commitment towards driving focused training and education by reaching out to healthcare professionals to drive robust medical education activities.
Disease awareness represents a significant focus within the Kingdom; there were 3.85M diabetes patients in Saudi Arabia in 2017.[2] Diabetics are at high risk of retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema which are increasing in proportion with the prevalence of diabetes. This underlines the serious need to drive awareness surrounding eye care and to develop innovative therapies for optimal treatment.
Prevalence of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness, is higher than the global average at 5.6% yet many of these patients are not aware of their condition underlining the need for increased awareness and education.[3] About 7% of all Saudi Arabians, and 42% of those older than 40 years, have a cataract or its sequelae, and over 3.5% of the population have corneal scars, about half of which are caused by trachoma.[4] Many of these chronic eye conditions can be attributed to the ageing population, meaning measures need to be taken to halt the precedent set by age-related eye disease and vision loss.[5]
Allergan has a deep-rooted heritage in eye care stemming from the 1950s, and since, they have developed many of the first eye care products on the market. The company is actively addressing the need for innovative therapies that that allow patients to better manage their disease and do not compromise patient’s lifestyle such as novel drug delivery systems.
Ramsey Morad, Allergan’s Vice President for India, Middle East and Africa said, “For over 70 years, Allergan has been a leader in the eye care sector, delivering some of the most innovative products and treatments for the most prevalent eye conditions including glaucoma, ocular surface disease, and retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion. We are now on the cusp of entering a new era of innovation within eye care, and we are continuing to actively seek out opportunities to fulfil ophthalmic unmet needs. Our aim is to continue driving our innovation in Saudi Arabia with the underlying objective of creating sustainable solutions for patients.”
Allergan’s strategic vision is in alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. With the company’s commitment to medical education and major knowledge-based contributions in the medical sector, Saudi Arabia can expect to generate inspiring outcomes in the near future. In the Kingdom, Allergan continues to empower nationals to take active roles in the overall management and operations of the company. Yazeed Alsufyani, Brand Manager – Eye Care at Allergan in Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of the company’s efforts to drive nationalization efforts.
Alsufyani is focused on building, maintaining and developing creative programs and engagement strategies with the Ministry of Health, as well as private audiences. He said, “Healthcare is changing fast in Saudi Arabia, every day and in new ways – we address that by being Bold in our actions and Bold for our customers and their patients. Eye care represents a significant need across the region, and statistics highlight the need to scale up vision impairment alleviation efforts at all levels.”
“Across Saudi Arabia, Allergan is continuing to invest in a wide variety of educational programs for healthcare professionals to raise the overall standard of medicine. We are committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives,” added Morad.
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About Allergan plc
Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model – Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world.
Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women’s health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.
Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, a model of research and development, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. With this approach, Allergan has built one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry.
Allergan’s success is powered by our global colleagues’ commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.
With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.
For more information, visit Allergan’s website at www.Allergan.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan’s current perspective on existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan’s current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan’s business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan’s products; the impact of uncertainty around timing of generic entry related to key products, including RESTASIS®, on our financial results; uncertainty associated with financial projections, projected cost reductions, projected synergies, restructurings, increased costs, and adverse tax consequences; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan’s periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
[1] Public Awareness regarding common eye diseases among Saudi adults in Riyadh | Journal of ophthalmology | https://www.hindawi.com/journals/joph/2017/9080791/
[3] The prevalence and determinants of glaucoma among 40 years and older Saudi residents in the Riyadh Governorate (except the Capital) – A community based survey | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319453418300080
[4] Blindness in Saudi Arabia | The Journal of the American Medical Association | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19448633_Blindness_in_Saudi_Arabia
[5] Global prevalence and causes of visual impairment with special reference to the general population of Saudi Arabia | https://www.pjms.com.pk/index.php/pjms/article/viewFile/14510/6128
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