Access to healthcare

History has shown that medicines can have an extraordinary social and economic impact. But they can only have a positive effect if healthcare providers offer patients access to therapies that make a difference.

UCB adds value by developing innovative treatments that improve patients’ lives and by supporting initiatives to increase access for the less advantaged.

Broadening market access through partnerships

Through partnerships, UCB medicines and educational efforts reach patients in more than 50 emerging markets, beyond our core markets.

Offering assistance to the disadvantaged

The pressures on public and private finances can sometimes limit or delay patients’ ability to benefit from our therapies. This difficulty is being exacerbated by macroeconomic developments. UCB will continue to look into ways to help these patients through co-payment assistance programmes and named-patient-access programmes, where local regulations allow.
We also believe that access to information and health literacy is a prerequisite for accessing the most appropriate healthcare.

Researching and developing breakthrough therapies

To create the next generation of breakthrough therapies, we invest heavily in research and development, supported by a solid pipeline of large and small molecules.   

We focus on two main therapeutic areas:
Central Nervous System (CNS): Our pipeline covers conditions such as epilepsy, restless legs syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and cognitive disorders.
Immunology: We are addressing a variety of disorders within this field, from psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease to rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and bone-loss disorders.

In 2010, we invested € 705 million in R&D, equivalent to 22% of our revenue during that year.

Over 203 000 new patients treated with new UCB products in 2010:

• 22 000 patients treated with Cimzia®
• 108 000 patients treated with Vimpat®
• 73 000 patients treated with Neupro®.