BASINGSTOKE, England,
June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Survey reveals people with RA
don't feel the impact of their disease is
understood
Eli Lilly and Company and the National Rheumatoid Arthritis
Society (NRAS), today announced the launch of a new film, called
'Behind the Smile', to encourage people living with rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) to have an open conversation with their doctor or
nurse about how they are truly feeling and how their disease
impacts their day to day life. To coincide with RA Awareness Week,
'Behind the Smile' aims to increase awareness of the silent
struggles, both physical and emotional, that people with RA face on
a daily basis as they cope with pain, fatigue and stiff joints and
encourage healthcare professionals to listen to what really matters
to the individual patient.
The 'Behind the Smile' film is launched to coincide with the
results from the new survey by Lilly, RA Matters, which
reveals a lack of understanding about the true impact of RA. The
survey uncovered that many people with RA don't feel the emotional
(60%)[1] or the physical
(49%)[1] impact of the disease is
understood by those around them. To view the 'Behind the Smile'
film, please visit http://www.nras.org.uk/behindthesmile.
"This short film aims to illustrate what goes on 'behind the
smile' for someone with RA and what they truly may be thinking or
feeling beneath the outward appearance of coping," said
Clare Jacklin, Director of External
Affairs, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), UK. "The
film aims to encourage those with RA to open up to those around
them including family and work colleagues as well as importantly to
have an honest conversation with their doctor or nurse about how
the disease truly impacts their everyday life so they [the health
professionals] can help provide the best care. The film also holds
an important message for the health professionals that while clinic
appointments are tight on time and they may have their own targets
to meet, prioritising what "matters" to the patient can lead to a
far better long-term outcome than just managing the symptoms of the
disease. Treat the person not the disease!"
Using traditional and social media platforms to recruit
respondents, 1,250 people with RA and 65 healthcare professionals
were surveyed in the UK to identify what matters most to people
with RA in terms of activities, work, personal relationships and
aspirations[1]. The survey
revealed:
- Over half of people with RA feel the disease negatively affects
relationships in terms of inclusion in family or social events
(55%) and quality of time spent with others
(52%)[1]
- 28% of people with RA said that their RA forced them to go on
long-term leave or retire and nearly a quarter (23%) felt that
their career progression had
slowed[1]
- 50% of people with RA found the difficulty of using their hands
and the unpredictability of how they feel are the main challenges
to carrying out work[1]
- The three main barriers which prevented people with RA in the
UK from undertaking everyday activities such as housework,
exercising and washing/personal grooming were: fatigue (59%),
aching and stiff joints (57%) and pain (55%). HCPs underestimated
the impact of fatigue on patients by 10 per
cent.[1]
"RA Awareness Week aims to help people understand what it's
really like to live with rheumatoid arthritis," said Dr.
Greg van Wyk, Senior Medical
Director, Lilly UK. "The RA Matters survey revealed that our
lack of understanding of the physical and emotional impact of RA
and how it makes people with RA feel still remains a barrier to
improving the lives of those living with this disease. At Lilly we
want to understand and listen to the challenges that face people
living with RA and we are committed to working in partnership with
the rheumatology community to help people better manage their
disease."
About Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterised by
inflammation and progressive destruction of joints.[2]
More than 23 million people worldwide suffer from RA.[3]
Approximately three times as many women as men have the
disease.[4]
About RA Matters
6,208 people participated in the RA Matters survey, of
which 5,400 were people who had been diagnosed with RA, and 808
were rheumatologists or healthcare professionals (HCPs) that treat
RA. The survey was carried out between November 4, 2016 and February 13, 2017, from eight participating
countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden
and the United Kingdom). The RA
Matters survey set out to fill a gap in the existing RA
evidence base. The over-arching objective of the survey was to
demonstrate the real unmet need in RA. Specifically the survey
explored the outcomes and quality of life related areas that are
most important, relevant and impactful of patients'
lives.[1]
Using an innovative visual data collection method on a live web
platform, the RA Matters survey allowed people to see and
compare their results in real time - helping us to bring important
RA stories to life. For more information on the RA Matters
survey and to explore the findings, please visit
http://www.ramatters.eu/en_GB.
The RA Matters survey was supported and/or informed by the
following individuals and organisations:
- Arthritis Consumer Experts (Canada)
- The Arthritis Society, Canada
(Canada)
- Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (Canada)
- AFPric (France)
- ANDAR (France)
- ANMAR (Italy)
- ConArtritis (Spain)
- Sociedad Española de Reumatología (Spain)
- National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (UK)
About NRAS
The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is the only
patient-led voluntary organisation focusing specifically on
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).
It has become established as the voice in the UK for people with RA
and JIA - providing a total network of support, information and
advocacy for those affected, their carers and families. NRAS
(http://www.nras.org.uk ) was founded in 2001 by Ailsa Bosworth - with the support of
rheumatologists and fellow RA sufferers - after a long battle
through her own diagnosis of RA. NRAS' mission is to help those
with RA or JIA to live life to the full by:
- Supporting those living with the disease from the start and
through every step of their journey
- Informing and educating - being the first choice for reliable
information
- Empowering all to have a voice and take control of their
condition.
About Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with
discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were
founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating
high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain
true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly
employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to
those who need them, improve the understanding and management of
disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and
volunteerism.
Lilly has been operating in the UK since 1934 and employs
approximately 2,500 people throughout the country working in sales
and marketing, research and development and bio-tech manufacturing.
Lilly's research priorities are aligned with significant UK health
needs including diabetes, heart disease, mental health and
cancer.
To learn more about Lilly, please visit us
at http://www.lilly.co.uk
(P-LLY)
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as
that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995) about Lilly's product pipeline and
reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, there are
substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of
pharmaceutical research, development, and commercialization. For
further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see
Lilly's most recent 10-K and 10-Q filings with the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be
required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking
statements for events occurring after the date of this
release.
Date of preparation: 15 June,
2017
PP-LR-GB-0001
References
1. Data on File RA Matters questionnaire REF 31954, REF 31955,
REF 31956 2017
2. Kahlenberg J and Fox D. Advances in the Medical
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Hand Clinics 2011 February ;
27(1): 11-20.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135413/pdf/nihms305780.pdf
(Accessed: May 25, 2017).
3. World Health Organisation (WHO). The Global Burden of Disease
Report, (table 7, page 32) 2004,
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_full.pdf
(Accessed: May 25, 2017).
4. Arthritis Foundation. What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis/what-is-rheumatoid-arthritis.php
(Accessed: May 25,
2017)