Celltrion Healthcare launches IBD awareness campaign in collaboration with leading patient organisation, EFCCA, for World IBD Day 2023

• Celltrion Healthcare and EFCCA have partnered to launch the Where’s CC? (Crohn’s & Colitis) campaign for World IBD Day 2023
• An interactive Where’s CC? visual with hidden CC characters, based on real-life patient insights, spotlight how the challenges associated with IBD can vary in different stages of life
• The campaign aims to ensure all IBD patients feel represented and ultimately able to access high-quality care and innovative treatment options, no matter their age

FRIDAY 19 MAY, 2023 - INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA – Celltrion Healthcare has partnered with a leading patient organisation, the European Federation of Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA), to raise awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) this World IBD Day (19 May 2023).

The campaign, Where’s CC? (Crohn’s and Colitis), aims to spark conversations about the impact of IBD across people’s lives and how these challenges vary between different age groups.

People are being encouraged to find the hidden CC characters and learn more about the unique challenges they have faced from being diagnosed with IBD to finding a treatment that works for them, at different stages of life, based on real-life patient insights.

Over ten million people worldwide are living with IBD[i], a group of conditions including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). IBD is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 40¹, however it can appear at any point during people’s lives, with 10% to 15% of newly diagnosed cases of IBD being over the age of 60.²

Clinical research, education and understanding however do not reflect this, leaving groups of people feeling left behind and underrepresented. This can impact patient’s ability to benefit from innovative treatment options and high-quality care, impacting their quality of life and disease outcomes.

Visit www.WhereisCC.com to learn more about the campaign and help in shining a light on IBD by finding CC and learning more about their unique experiences.

Kevin Byoung Seo Choi, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing Division at Celltrion Healthcare, said: “Every IBD patient, no matter their age, deserves to feel understood and have access to high quality care and effective, innovative treatments. Innovations in treatments, including advances in treatment administration that enable people to access at-home injectable treatment allows people to have an improved quality of life whilst managing their condition. We are extremely proud to launch the Where’s CC? campaign in collaboration with EFCCA for World IBD Day 2023 to improve understanding of IBD and the challenges that are associated with specific stages of life.

“Through our partnership with EFCCA, we have unparalleled opportunity to turn the tide in IBD and ensure no patient feels alone or left behind in their unique journey.”

Salvo Leone, EFCCA Chairman, commented: “IBD has no age, yet people living with IBD are facing challenges associated with their age that prevent them benefitting from the best treatment options.

“This World IBD Day, we are delighted to have partnered with Celltrion Healthcare to spotlight some of these challenges to raise awareness and improve care for IBD patients across the world. The Where’s CC? campaign includes important patient resources, and we encourage everyone to spread the word as we work towards a situation where all IBD patients can have a good quality of life.”

Molly O’Donoghue, UC patient, said: “Being diagnosed with UC at 15, I thought I would never be able to move away to university or go travelling with my friends. I was on a downward spiral, becoming depressed and isolated, until I found an at-home treatment that gave me a new freedom to do these things as I had always wanted.

“It is so important that people with IBD are not ashamed of their condition, and we talk about the challenges that come with learning to live with the condition at different stages of life. The Where’s CC? campaign is a brilliant way to raise awareness and help people to overcome the challenges that IBD brings.”