- Aims to guide patients with rare and gastrointestinal diseases to appropriate medical care

〜Ubie will build on its achievements in the early detection of HAE and expand its collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals to benefit patients in broader disease areas

Since April 2021, Ubie and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. have been promoting digital transformation for the early detection of diseases and guidance for appropriate medical examinations using Ubie Symptom Checker, a service for general public with disease concerns, and Ubie Patient Intake Form, a service for medical institutions. (*1). A prime example of this collaboration is the rare disease called hereditary angioedema (HAE).

HAE is a rare genetic disorder that causes recurrent episodes of edema in various parts of the body, including the abdomen, face, feet, genitals, hands, and throat. (*2,3,4) If it lodges in the throat, it can block the airway, causing difficulty breathing and the elevating risk of suffocation. (*4,5) It is estimated that there are 2,000 to 3,000 HAE patients in Japan, but due to the low level of awareness of the disease, only about 450 patients have been diagnosed; it is believed that there are many undiagnosed patients (*6). In addition, it is said that it takes an average of 13.8 years from the first attack to definitive diagnosis in Japan (*7), which is a large gap compared to the reported average of 8.3 years in the United States (*8) and 8.5 years in Europe (*9).

According to our survey, at least 14 people (from April 2021 to December 2022) were diagnosed with HAE after being referred to a healthcare provider through the alliance. In one case, a patient who had been suffering from swollen hands for six months visited a medical facility after learning about the disease through the service and was promptly diagnosed with HAE.

Building on these achievements, the comprehensive alliance aims to enable even more patients to benefit from the services. Specifically, the scope of the collaboration will be expanded around rare diseases, where early detection is an issue, and new initiatives will be launched in gastrointestinal diseases, where it is believed that many potential patients have symptoms but do not seek medical treatment attention. In addition, to provide more value to patients and physicians from various perspectives, Ubie is developing additional functions on top of the current services and will seek to collaborate with Takeda on IT systems and data.

Ubie, in collaboration with Takeda, will contribute to the health of as many patients as possible by supporting patient journeys through the active use of technology.