Published On: 11/21/2019

TARGET-IBD Research Receives Presidential Poster Award And Outstanding Presenter Award At 2019 American College Of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting

DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TARGET PharmaSolutions' TARGET-IBD poster "Medication Use and Comorbidities Among Elderly as Compared to Younger Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the TARGET-IBD Cohort" was designated a Presidential Poster at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

The Abstract Selection Committee reviewed thousands of abstracts in advance of the 2019 meeting. Fewer than five percent of accepted abstracts received this distinction for high quality, novel, unique, and interesting research. Dr. Ed Barnes, who is a TARGET-IBD publications committee member, first author and presenter of the poster, also won an Outstanding Presenter Award. The award acknowledges his succinct and informative briefing of the TARGET-IBD research, followed by a faculty judge Q&A session.

TARGET-IBD is a longitudinal, observational study collecting information from consented patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to gain insight on the natural course of the disease and treatment outcomes. Data is collected retrospectively for three years from the patient's date of consent and then prospectively for at least five years. The resultant robust cohort allows for the collection of effectiveness and safety data upon new drug approvals.

The study presented at ACG explored patterns of medication use in patients with IBD across the age span, with an elderly focus. Researchers concluded mesalamine was the most common medication used among patients with Crohn's Disease over age 65 and among participants with ulcerative colitis across all age categories, and that patients with Crohn's Disease over age 65 were more than twice as likely to be users of mesalamine at enrollment than patients under age 30. Anti‐tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti‐TNF) use decreased in patients over 65 years versus patients under 30 years for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Barnes (left), Dr. Crawford (right)

"TARGET-IBD offers a unique opportunity to examine real-world data and practice patterns across multiple different disease presentations within IBD, including comparisons of patients from different age groups," said Dr. Barnes. "Many times, evaluations in administrative claims data are limited to patients younger than 65 years of age due to concerns regarding co-insurance with Medicare. A real-world analysis from 34 practice sites in the U.S. allowed us to evaluate practice patterns across a variety of age groups, including patients over the age of 65, where we saw significant differences in medication use such as increased use of mesalamine and decreased use of anti-TNF therapy."

"As TARGET-IBD continues to grow, the potential for its contribution to research in both Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis is becoming very clear. We are pleased with the increasing attention surrounding TARGET-IBD," said co-author and TARGET Senior Director of Scientific and Medical Affairs, Dr. Julie Crawford.