Amgen, International Federation of Psoriasis Associations Launch UPLIFT Innovation Challenge

Applicants are invited to submit innovative ideas that address the challenge question: "How can we unite people living with psoriatic disease and their healthcare providers to achieve optimal health outcomes?" 

Amgen and the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations are launching the Understanding Psoriatic Disease Leveraging Insights for Treatment (UPLIFT) Innovation Challenge, a new global initiative that aims to foster the development of solutions to address a challenge that people living with psoriatic disease and healthcare providers continue to face. 

Applicants are invited to submit innovative ideas that address the challenge question: "How can we unite people living with psoriatic disease and their healthcare providers to achieve optimal health outcomes?" 

Amgen and IFPA created the UPLIFT Innovation Challenge in response to the undertreatment and strong disconnect between patients' perceptions and standard measures of disease severity documented in the 2020 UPLIFT survey. 

Data from UPLIFT was presented virtually during the 6th World Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Conference. 

The challenge is open to all local, regional and national psoriasis- and psoriatic arthritis-focused patient organizations worldwide. 

Entrants must submit applications by 23:59 EDT on Monday, August 30, 2021, and rules and additional details are available at www.UPLIFTInnovationChallenge.com. The successful applicant will receive a one-time donation or grant of $25,000 USD (or equivalent in local currency) to support the execution of their proposed solution. 

"Despite tremendous advances in recent years, significant areas of unmet need remain for people living with psoriatic disease," says Frida Dunger Johnsson, executive director, IFPA, in a news release. "Patient organizations are uniquely positioned to develop and implement solutions that address these needs as we are on the front lines, constantly working to help improve the lives of people with psoriatic disease. We chose to partner with Amgen on the UPLIFT Innovation Challenge as a global opportunity fitting to the IFPA mission to improve the lives of all people living with psoriatic disease."

UPLIFT Survey Results at WPPAC 
The UPLIFT survey was designed to measure the effects of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis on people living with these conditions. The data recently presented at WPPAC affirmed and refined the findings of a previous survey conducted in 2012, the Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) survey. In a comparison of UPLIFT and MAPP survey findings, fewer people with psoriatic arthritis reported seeing a healthcare provider for their disease in the past year (50% in UPLIFT vs. 83% in MAPP) and a majority (74%) surveyed in UPLIFT perceived their disease as moderate-to-severe despite 83 percent receiving treatment. 

"Nearly a decade after the MAPP survey, during which more treatments have become available, the UPLIFT survey suggests unmet needs in patient care persist. It also revealed an ongoing disconnect between patients' perceptions of their disease severity and how healthcare providers categorize their disease using common measures of disease severity," says Darryl Sleep, M.D., senior vice president, global medical, and chief medical officer at Amgen. "With these findings in mind, we are proud to launch the UPLIFT Innovation Challenge with IFPA to encourage much-needed dialogue and support the development of potential solutions to help address the gaps in the treatment journey for this community."

Two additional abstracts reported outcomes from subsets of UPLIFT data from participants in five European countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Of the 2,006 European UPLIFT respondents, 72 percent of people had psoriasis only, 25% had both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and 3 percent had psoriatic arthritis only. Findings included:

• A majority (62%) of people with psoriasis with limited skin involvement (BSA ≤3%) characterized their current disease as moderate or severe, and 79 percent had psoriasis in at least one special area, such as the scalp, face, nail, palms or soles. 
• While 84 percent of Europeans with psoriatic arthritis surveyed reported receiving treatment, 72 percent characterized their current disease as moderate-to-severe and substantial disease burden. Further, 52 percent of Europeans with psoriatic arthritis surveyed had not seen a healthcare provider for their disease in the past year.

About the UPLIFT Survey 
In 2020, Amgen conducted the global Understanding Psoriatic Disease Leveraging Insights for Treatment (UPLIFT) survey exploring the evolution of attitudes and behaviors of 3,806 people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, 473 dermatologists and 450 rheumatologists in eight countries in North America, Europe and Asia. The survey was conducted in 2020 and was overseen by an academic steering committee of thought-leaders in dermatology and rheumatology. The survey builds upon findings from the 2012 Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) survey, a first-of-its-kind study conducted by Celgene that looked in-depth at the effect of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis on people living with these conditions. Additional findings from UPLIFT can be accessed on the WPPAC website or at www.UPLIFTInnovationChallenge.com.