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HELSINN SATELLITE
SYMPOSIUM
"Oxaprozin: a traditional NSAID with an innovative approach"
June 9th - 16:30 - 18:00
and
Booth # 17/13 at the Exhibition Area
Berlin, June 9, 2004
At the 5th annual European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)
congress, held in Berlin, with an estimated attendance of approximately 9'000
worldwide delegates, Helsinn was actively present as sponsor of a satellite
symposium on
oxaprozin and of a booth in the exhibition area, with a
focus on its products oxaprozin and
nimesulide.
Throughout the 4-day event, there was an impressive number of international
rheumatologists and orthopaedics who visited the booth, shared with Helsinn's
partners,
CSC
Group and
FIDIA, Italy, which permitted
Helsinn to have a high level of direct interaction with prescribing physicians,
providing them with the latest medical/scientific data and technical information
on both oxaprozin and nimesulide, and exchanging opinions and field experience.
Helsinn prepared a specific
scientific/promotional tool (product monograph booklet) on oxaprozin,
"Oxaprozin treatment pack: a support service for the physician", including a
product monograph booklet and an easy-handling CD with single page file-cards
for the patients, which stimulated the visitors' interest and allowed Helsinn to
gather individual details of the delegates who received a copy of the tool.
The satellite symposium, "Oxaprozin: a traditional NSAID with an innovative
approach", which Helsinn sponsored and organised for Wednesday 9th
June, provided the opportunity to gather a significant number of specialists
from various countries.
After a skilful and expert introductory lecture by Prof. H. Häntzschel,
University of Leipzig, Germany, who highlighted the most significant elements
involved in the treatment of inflammation in rheumatic diseases, Prof. F.
Dallegri, University of Genova Medical School, Italy, presented recent important
data on oxaprozin.
Focusing on the crucial role of the dynamic balance between recruitment and
apoptosis of inflammatory cells, Prof. Dallegri showed that oxaprozin is able to
reduce the production of pro-inflammatory chemotactic agents and to induce the
apoptosis of monocyte-macrophages, thus favouring the resolution and termination
of inflammatory responses.
The third speaker, Dr. G. Heller, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Frankfurt, Germany,
illustrated the results of a recent multicentre controlled study aimed at
evaluating the efficacy of oxaprozin in comparison with diclofenac in patients
with periarthritis of the shoulder previously unsuccessfully treated with other
NSAIDs. Oxaprozin showed to be as efficacious as diclofenac in relieving
shoulder pain and superior to diclofenac in improving functionality and in the
overall efficacy and tolerability.
Importantly, the study showed that oxaprozin may be superior to diclofenac in
improving the patients' quality of life.
In the conclusive lecture, Dr. S.
Aslanides, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece, gave a stimulating
overview of the most important pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
characteristics of oxaprozin as well as of its well-documented clinical
efficacy.
Based on the new findings presented by the previous speakers, Dr. Aslanides
conveyed the following key message: oxaprozin is a very interesting drug that
deserves particular attention for a multifactorial therapeutic approach in the
management of arthritic patients.
The symposium was skilfully chaired by Prof. B. Hazleman, Cambridge, UK and Dr.
E.C. Huskisson, London, UK, who inspired an interesting and enthusiastic
discussion on the main topics presented.
The positive results reached with the two activities, symposium and exhibition
booth, made the event an overall success for Helsinn, its products and its
partners.
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