International NASH Day Adds Trusted Stakeholders as Global Day of Action Against Fatty Liver Diseases Draws Near

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"Our initiative will educate and activate physicians, patients, and populations at risk on a global scale," said Pascaline Clerc, PhD, U.S. Campaign Manager for The NASH Education Program™. "We are thrilled that so many critical NASH stakeholders will join us in this global day of action." 

The growing coalition of partners supporting the first-of-its-kind International NASH Day on June 12, 2018 includes:

• Covance
• Echosens
• IQVIA
• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)
• British Liver Trust (BLT)
• National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA)
• National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA)
• The Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver (ALEH)
• The Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH)
• CM-CIC Market Solutions

The first International NASH Day will convene physicians, scientists, patients and community advocates across more than twenty cities around the world for a day of action against NASH. It will also centralize rich educational content on a dedicated platform, with interviews involving key stakeholders and the most prominent experts from the NASH ecosystem, as well as informative reports.

An overview of all this educational content is available in three languages on the 1^st International NASH Day website, which has launched today.

It is estimated that almost 12% of adults in developed countries, 19% of Hispanics and 14% of Afro-Americans, Williams, 2011 suffer from NASH - most of them unaware that they do, as NASH is asymptomatic, or "silent," in presenting no symptoms until very late in the disease's damaging trajectory. NASH is associated with the type 2 diabetes and obesity epidemics, which are affecting an alarming number of adults, children and teenagers.

NASH is a metabolic disease characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver, along with inflammation and the degeneration of liver cells. The disease is associated with long-term risk of progression into diminished liver function, leading to non-alcoholic cirrhosis, liver insufficiency and possibly even liver cancer. It is also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality.

By raising awareness on this disease, the NASH Education Program™ aims to encourage earlier diagnosis, giving patients a chance to control disease progression through sustained lifestyle changes.

John Ratliff, Chief Executive Officer, Covance added: "It is extremely important for us, as a key player in the NASH space, to work with The NASH Education Program™ in the context of the 1st International NASH Day. We value this initiative and see it as a potential game changer in the NASH ecosystem. Patient voice really has to be heard much more than it is today, and all individuals at risk have to be informed about this silent but life-threatening disease. Really looking forward to June 12, 2018!"

Claude Lenoir, CEO, Echosens said: "Echosens is proud to support The NASH Education Program™'s initiative. There is an urgent need to raise public awareness about this widespread silent epidemic and engage physicians well beyond the field of hepatology."

Mark H. DeLegge, MD, Senior Medical Director, NASH Medical Strategy Lead, IQVIA GI Center of Excellence said: "NASH represents a clear and present public health issue around the world, with no current treatment and heavy consequences on healthcare systems. Disease awareness is absolutely paramount to making progress with patients, clinicians and other stakeholders who can make a difference. This is why we are thrilled to support and be a part of the 1^st International NASH Day organized by The NASH Education Program™. This is a groundbreaking initiative which will undoubtedly answer some of the key unmet needs and challenges holding us back."

Pr. Adrian Gadano, Associate Professor Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Buenos Aires, chief of the Liver Unit and Medical Director, Transplant Unit, Italian Hospital, Buenos Aires; member of ALEH, The Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver and coordinator ALEH NASH Interest Group said: "As the major stakeholder in Latin America when it comes to liver diseases, we are extremely happy to support the 1st International NASH Day, as it represents a unique opportunity - and actually the very first one in the NASH space - to disseminate highly relevant knowledge about this disease to a population which is known to be at very high risk of developing the most severe forms of NASH ... but without knowing it! Hence the absolute need to educate and inform."

Jeffrey Caballero, Executive Director of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations commented: «The NASH Education Program™'s commitment to raising awareness about this disease in the medical and broader community is in line with our mission to promote advocacy, collaboration, and leadership that improves the health of at-risk Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other vulnerable populations served by our member health centers."

Judi Rhys, Chief Executive, British Liver Trust added: "NASH is a public health epidemic that we must address on a global scale and across medical specialties, and we are thrilled to participate in the first International NASH Day. Patients deserve to be heard and to have access to more resources on NASH that this initiative will provide ."

Dr. Yanira Cruz, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging said: "The National Hispanic Council on Aging is pleased to partner with the NASH Education Program™ on this first International NASH Day. The prevalence of NASH in the Hispanic population is the highest. 80% of people with fatty liver don't even know they have it. Fatty liver diseases NAFLD/NASH are expected to become the number one reason for liver transplantation in the next 2 years in developed countries. We must inform our communities about this public health crisis and provide them with a support system. We thank the NASH Education Program™ for providing these resources and care for our communities."

Dr. Elena Rios, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association added: "It is essential for our medical community to get the best information about NASH in order to better treat and guide our patients. We are thrilled to be part of the first International NASH Day and are looking forward to continuing this collaboration with the NASH Education Program™ until all our providers have a good grasp of this disease."

Eric Le Boulch, Managing Director, CM-CIC Market Solutions commented: "NASH is a disease little known to the general public and there is currently no approved treatment for it. We support the first International NASH Day to help bring awareness to this disease in patients and medical communities »

These new partners join the first wave of supporters:

• American Liver Foundation (ALF)
• Global Liver Institute (GLI)
• Fatty Liver Foundation (FLF)
• Cymabay Therapeutics
• Delpharm
• Diafir
• Enanta Pharmaceuticals
• GENFIT
• Inventiva Pharma
• BARC
• Health Unlocked

ABOUT THE NASH EDUCATION PROGRAM™ 

The non-profit NASH Education Program™ defines and drives initiatives in collaboration with an independent scientific committee composed of four international key opinion leaders well-known and respected in the hepatic and metabolic disease ecosystems in the U.S. and Europe. To learn more, visit www.the-nash-education-program.com.

[1] Williams, 2011

Contact 

THE NASH EDUCATION PROGRAM™  

contact@nash-education-program.com

or Pascaline Clerc - U.S. Campaign Manager | pascaline.c@nash-education-program.com

PRESS RELATIONS  

Europe : Ulysse Communication  | Bruno Arabian | barabian@ulysse-communication.com | +33-687884726

United States: SuSiglo Media | Maritza Puello | maritza.puello@gmail.com | +1-917-886-3495