The Importance of Your Treatment Plan
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The ultimate goal is to make patients feel better. So if they're having an active symptom-- like pain-- for that pain to go away or at least, be diminished so it's not bothering them. And if they're having diarrhea, then for the diarrhea to be tolerable, but hopefully, to go away.
So symptom control is the main goal. There are medications that can work, but some of these regimens require patients to take their pills two, three, and even four times a day. And one of the regimens, it's four pills four times a day so it can be daunting.
The outcome of a patient not being adherent or compliant with their medicine is that they're not going to do as well. They have more hospitalizations. And higher use of medical resources. And greater need for surgery.
In the last 10 or 15 years, there have been a host of biologics that have been approved for ulcerative colitis and are preferable options for most patients if the simple pills don't work.
One of the advantages of some of the infusion medicines is that there's a nurse monitoring the appointments. And if patients don't come for their appointments, then they get a call and a reminder. But when we're talking about a patient who might need-- let's say-- they're getting an infusion every eight weeks and they get it at 10 weeks or they take it at 12 weeks, then the medicine's not going to work as well. And they're more likely to be hospitalized and more likely to need surgery.
One of the benefits of staying on treatment is that you'll likely feel better that the medicine is going to work as expected. There will be less missed school. Less missed work. Less missed events. And a happier patient.
And we've done, in the clinical trials, that we measure quality of life. And we've shown that patients who are taking the medicine on schedule, patients who are getting these regiments have better quality of life measures. So they're happier and having more fulfillment because their general health, their well-being is not worsened by the disease as much as those who don't take the medicine on time.
DOUGLAS WOLF
Well, there are a variety of treatments for ulcerative colitis and they depend on the severity. Many patients have a difficult time following their treatment regimen because many of these regimens are complicated. The ultimate goal is to make patients feel better. So if they're having an active symptom-- like pain-- for that pain to go away or at least, be diminished so it's not bothering them. And if they're having diarrhea, then for the diarrhea to be tolerable, but hopefully, to go away.
So symptom control is the main goal. There are medications that can work, but some of these regimens require patients to take their pills two, three, and even four times a day. And one of the regimens, it's four pills four times a day so it can be daunting.
The outcome of a patient not being adherent or compliant with their medicine is that they're not going to do as well. They have more hospitalizations. And higher use of medical resources. And greater need for surgery.
In the last 10 or 15 years, there have been a host of biologics that have been approved for ulcerative colitis and are preferable options for most patients if the simple pills don't work.
One of the advantages of some of the infusion medicines is that there's a nurse monitoring the appointments. And if patients don't come for their appointments, then they get a call and a reminder. But when we're talking about a patient who might need-- let's say-- they're getting an infusion every eight weeks and they get it at 10 weeks or they take it at 12 weeks, then the medicine's not going to work as well. And they're more likely to be hospitalized and more likely to need surgery.
One of the benefits of staying on treatment is that you'll likely feel better that the medicine is going to work as expected. There will be less missed school. Less missed work. Less missed events. And a happier patient.
And we've done, in the clinical trials, that we measure quality of life. And we've shown that patients who are taking the medicine on schedule, patients who are getting these regiments have better quality of life measures. So they're happier and having more fulfillment because their general health, their well-being is not worsened by the disease as much as those who don't take the medicine on time.
