A Focus on Eyes, To Help Change Lives

This is a paid advertorial produced by AbbVie. For Healthcare Professionals Only.

Making a remarkable impact on people’s lives has always been at the heart of everything AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, does. And making Allergan a part of AbbVie is in line with the company’s mission to protect and preserve vision for better quality of life.

From strength to strength

Eye care is a core component of AbbVie’s portfolio, according to AbbVie’s Regional Vice President for Asia, Peggy Wu. In May 2020, AbbVie completed the acquisition of Allergan, a pharmaceutical company with a long legacy in eye care. This move further strengthens AbbVie’s position as a leader in the industry.

“AbbVie builds on Allergan’s more than 70-year legacy of leadership in eye care – in bringing 125 products to market and to continue to develop medicines for today’s most prevalent eye conditions,” noted Ms. Wu. “The integration with AbbVie allows us the scale to bring patients groundbreaking medicines. Today, more than ever, we are well-positioned with resources and focus to deliver on our commitments and turn possibilities into reality for more patients. This also allows us to advance our innovative science pipeline to help address the needs of people and communities around the world,” she added.

With the integration of Allergan, AbbVie has an expanded global footprint. One key geographic area is Asia. According to Ms. Wu, AbbVie’s mission in eye care in Asia remains to protect and preserve vision for a better quality of life for the millions of people who experience vision loss and impairment.

“Our eye care medicines treat the patients living with glaucoma, retinal disease and dry eye across Asia. The integration of the Allergan Eye Care has grown the business by over 30% in this region with the introduction of a new therapeutic expertise,” she said.

Asia, with a diverse workforce and dynamic portfolio, represents one of the fastest growing geographies for eye care. India and Asia emerging markets such as Thailand and Philippines have expanded capabilities to reach more patients and increase diagnosis rate across the region.

“Our treatments have been taking care of many patients with glaucoma, retinal disease and dry eye, leading many markets across Asia. Allergan’s rich heritage, expertise, and experience in eye care with innovative products and services for our patients now coupled with AbbVie can help continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in eye care. The integration of AbbVie and Allergan has brought more resources and capability to help fuel continued investment to advance the pipeline and reach more patients across the Asia region. We seek to bring innovation to find new treatments and solutions that address unmet needs and new approaches to help treat preventable blindness,” she emphasized.

On a different note, Ms. Wu said that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted patients’ interactions with medical providers due to a reduction in hospital visits. This has led to overall less frequent engagements with healthcare practitioners (HCPs).

“Given this situation, I think the pharmaceutical industry should focus even more on reconnecting patients with care and helping to fill the experience and treatment outcome gaps in the healthcare ecosystem,” she commented.

As for the future, it is foreseeable that the company will only grow from strength to strength in delivering its mission. “The global scale of AbbVie contributes to expanded geographic reach and investments that increase our capacity for innovation, enabling us to realize our mission and aim to help meet the needs of all patients we serve. We will continue to strengthen our leadership in eye care by accelerating strategic partnerships to drive innovation to support emerging and developing markets,” Ms. Wu noted.

Eyes on China

China is one of the most important markets for AbbVie. “We are committed to making a remarkable impact on patient’s lives and enhancing the development of healthcare system in China,” said Vice President and General Manager of AbbVie China, Tony Au.

“AbbVie is dedicated to long-term partnerships that enable growth of all partners and promote a sustainable healthcare system ultimately benefiting the broader population in China. This includes establishing long-term and stable partnerships with clinical scientists, industry partners and academic research institutions, aiming to support healthcare professionals through innovative models, and ultimately promoting in-depth cooperation, stimulating mutual growth, and creating a healthier and more sustainable medical ecosystem,” Mr. Au explained.

In China, AbbVie is deeply engaged in areas with the highest unmet needs, including ophthalmology, immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and medical aesthetics. “Through continuous investment, accumulation and iteration, we are committed to exploring more targeted and efficient innovative medicine treatments.”

Mr. Au noted that China has tremendous unmet needs for ophthalmic care. “The country is home to approximately one-third of the world’s blind population¹ and the greatest number of diabetes patients² and is seeing rising numbers of people with glaucoma, retinal disease and dry eye across Asia.^3-5 AbbVie is committed to providing innovative solutions and reaching more patients living with retinal diseases, glaucoma and dry eye diseases in China,” he said.

“We continue to explore and practice innovative business models to be able to reach more patients in China. Our glaucoma and dry eye disease drops have launched e-commerce channels and provided online disease education live streaming to facilitate patients’ disease management,” shared Mr. Au.

“Given the strong legacy and innovation pipeline of Allergan Eye Care, we are confident that AbbVie will accelerate in introducing more innovative eye care treatments to benefit Chinese patients,” he concluded.

References

1. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Available at: https://www.iapb.org/learn/vision-atlas/inequality-in-vision-loss/region-inequality/ Accessed October 2022.
2. Hu C, Jia W. Diabetes in China: Epidemiology and Genetic Risk Factors and Their Clinical Utility in Personalized Medication. Diabetes. 2018;67(1):3-11.
3. Xu T, Wang B, Liu H, et al. Prevalence and causes of vision loss in China from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Public Health. 2020;5(12):e682-e691.
4. Hospital Management. Available at: https://www.hospitalmanagement.net/comment/total-prevalentcases-dry-eye-syndrome-soar-china/ Accessed October 2022.
5. White Paper on Eye Health in China, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) on June 5, 2020. Available at: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/xcs/s3574/202006/1f519d91873948d88a77a35a427c3944.shtml Accessed October 2022.