Healthcare | Tuesday 16 July, 2019 12:00 am |

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 on 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. 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. 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. 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. 

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.