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TAKEDA CANADA AWARDS $1 MILLION TO SUPPORT THE CANADIAN IBD RESEARCH CONSORTIUM

Vital funding received for consortium focused on attracting and advancing clinical research


Toronto, ON – February 3, 2022 – Crohn’s and Colitis Canada is pleased to announce a $1 million PIONEER Grant from Takeda Canada, which will support the Canadian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Consortium (CIRC). With a shared goal to improve the quality of life for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the grant will support clinical research conducted by CIRC members in a collective effort to improve patient outcomes.

With the support of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, CIRC was established in 2017 to attract and facilitate clinical studies in Canada by creating a collaborative network of clinician scientists and offering research support. Now in its sixth year, CIRC has continued to grow and is currently running nine multi-centre investigator-initiated studies designed to answer important clinical questions, including four multi-centred randomized controlled trials.  

Inflammatory bowel disease – the main forms of IBD being Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis –   causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract which impacts food digestion, nutrition absorption and waste elimination for those affected. More than 300,000 Canadians live with this disease for which there is currently no cure.i ii

The CIRC PIONEER Grant provides support for Canadian gastroenterologists conducting high quality, impactful research in IBD and recognizes the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in research. Improvements to DE&I play an important role in improving health inequity, better serving patients and supporting innovation.

“At Takeda, we are driven to make a real difference in the lives of Canadians with gastrointestinal diseases,” said Rute Fernandes, General Manager, Takeda Canada. “We are committed to collaborating with a wide range of partners to advance scientific research in GI, so that we can ensure the unique clinical needs of patients are understood. We are proud to support the CIRC PIONEER Grant for IBD Research, which recognizes the critical role of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in health research.”

“The IBD community in Canada has punched above their weight class for many decades, and this grant will help ensure that high quality clinical research can continue to be conducted in Canada,” said Dr. Neeraj Narula, President, CIRC. “We are very excited and thank Takeda Canada for partnering with us on this research opportunity, which hopefully leads to improved patient outcomes through practice-changing Canadian IBD research.” 

“The impact of CIRC continues to grow with a goal of improving the quality of life for people living with inflammatory bowel disease by helping support new treatments in the Canadian market. With limited options available to IBD patients, clinical studies that help introduce new diagnostics and therapeutics are critical,” said Lori Radke, President and CEO, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. “We are very fortunate to have researchers with such a high caliber of expertise working together and a forum that helps facilitate clinical studies in Canada.” 

Letters of intent are now being accepted and are due March 28, 2022 at 4 pm ET.  Further grant details including information on how to submit a letter of intent can be found at https://circ-ccrm.ca/pioneer-grant/

To learn more about CIRC, visit circ-ccrm.ca

About Crohn’s and Colitis Canada

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada is on a relentless journey to find the cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improve the lives of children and adults affected by these chronic diseases. We are the country’s largest volunteer-based organization with this mission and are one of the top two health charity funders of Crohn’s and colitis research in the world, investing over $135 million in research to date. We are transforming the lives of people affected by Crohn’s and colitis through research, patient programs, advocacy, and awareness. For more information, visit crohnsandcolitis.ca and follow us @getgutsycanada on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Takeda Canada Inc.

Takeda Canada Inc. is the Canadian organization of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502/NYSE: TAK), a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discovering and delivering life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit: takeda.com/en-ca  
 
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For media inquiries, please contact:

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada
media@crohnsandcolitis.ca 

Takeda Canada
Amanda Jacobs at amanda.jacobs@takeda.com
(647) 798-2231
 
i https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/About-Crohn-s-Colitis/What-are-Crohns-and-Colitis
ii https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/Crohns_and_Colitis/documents/reports/COVID-19/2021-COVID19-IBD- Report_V9.pdf

  • Canada has among the highest incidence rates of Crohn's and colitis in the world.
  • 1 in 140 Canadians lives with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • Families new to Canada are developing these diseases for the first time.
  • Incidence of Crohn’s in Canadian kids under 10 has doubled since 1995.
  • People are most commonly diagnosed before age 30.