Vifor Pharma UK, which specialises in the treatment of anaemia, has partnered with charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK.

As a 2013 gold level corporate supporter of the charity, Vifor Pharma will help it to raise awareness of the risk of anaemia linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Up to 90% of people with IBD, of which Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are major forms, may suffer from iron deficiency leading to anaemia.

A range of treatments exist for iron deficiency, from dietary management to oral or intravenous iron supplements and blood transfusions.

Vifor Pharma specialises in intravenous iron therapies, with UK products including Ferinject and Venofer.

IBD affects some 240,000 people in the UK, and its symptoms – including fatigue, stomach pain and diarrhoea – are often acerbated by anaemia, which causes severe weakness.

Derek Williams, General Manager of Vifor Pharma UK, commented: “Our vision, as an organisation, is to ensure that we are always getting it right for people with iron deficiency. As proud corporate supporters of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, Vifor Pharma will support the charity throughout 2013 to help fund projects that will help to make a positive impact on the large number of people that suffer with anaemia.”

“We are delighted that Vifor Pharma UK has chosen to support us throughout 2013,” said Suzi Clark, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at Crohn’s and Colitis UK. “Without the help of such supporters, we would not be able to undertake the work that we do, endeavouring to ensure that people with IBD are able to access information and support to help achieve the best possible quality of life.”

Vifor Pharma, based in Switzerland, is a subsidiary of Galenica and offers a diversified portfolio of prescription and OTC medicines for iron deficiency.

AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab) is now available in the UK for treatment of paediatric Crohn’s disease (CD), a painful bowel disorder that can inhibit children’s growth.

The drug is licensed for treatment of patients aged six to 17 years with severe active CD who do not respond well to conventional therapies.

This new indication for a drug already used to treat arthritis and psoriasis offers the first new biological therapy for paediatric CD to gain EU approval in five years.

It also represents AbbVie’s first UK drug launch since its split from Abbott to form a stand-alone research-based biopharmaceutical company.

CD, which affects 90,000 people in the UK, is an inflammatory bowel disorder that causes severe pain and diarrhoea. In young patients, it can inhibit growth and the onset of puberty.

Conventional treatments include hospital-based injection of corticosteroids and immunomodulator drugs. Humira can be injected by children and their families outside the hospital, allowing for more flexible treatment with less disruption.

“Paediatric Crohn’s disease is a chronic bowel disease that may have a significant impact on a child or young person,” said Dr Richard Russell, Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow. “For patients who do not respond to standard therapies, this new treatment option addresses a significant unmet need.”

Richard Driscoll, Chief Executive of the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK, commented: “Paediatric Crohn’s disease is known to be increasing in frequency among children and young adults of all ages. We welcome this new treatment that is being made available in the UK, as the symptoms can be very severe and have a significant debilitating effect on the child and their family.”

AbbVie separated from Abbott in early January as a manufacturer of research-based biological medicines.

The FDA has approved Remicade to treat moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in children older than six years in the US.

Janssen Biotech’s infliximab treatment is indicated to reduce the signs and symptoms of UC in patients whose condition has not responded to conventional therapy, aiming to induce and maintain clinical remission.

The approval was based on findings from a multi-centre, randomised, open-label study involving 60 children aged six to 17 years old with moderately to severely active UC who have failed to respond to or tolerate conventional therapy.

Dr Donna Griebel, Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Inborn Errors Products at the FDA, said: “With the approval of Remicade, children with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who have not had an adequate response to conventional treatment now have an FDA-approved treatment option.”

Remicade carries a Boxed Warning for risk of serious infections and cancer. These infections include tuberculosis and those caused by viruses, fungi or bacteria.

The drug is already approved for the treatment of other autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease in adults and children older than six years, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis affecting the joints in the spine and the pelvis), psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis in adults.

UC is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects the lining of the large intestine and rectum. Between 50,000 and 100,000 children in the US have IBD, with 40% of this figure having UC.