Beyond Celiac and Takeda Partner on Diversity and Healthcare Equity Initiative in Celiac Disease

Beyond Celiac is proud to announce our new multi-year partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company to identify and reduce disparities in celiac disease diagnosis and management, aiming to raise awareness and help minority patients participate in clinical trials.

The partnership will focus on improving aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion in celiac disease. This includes a data analysis to identify access barriers to diagnosis and treatment, suboptimal celiac disease clinical management, and underrepresentation of minority groups in clinical trials. In addition, the partnership will aim to educate and increase societal awareness of celiac disease.  

Previous research has shown that Black, Hispanic, and Latino patients and those with public insurance presenting with celiac disease symptoms are less likely to receive appropriate follow-up compared to white patients and those with private insurance.

“We want everyone with celiac disease to have access to diagnosis and treatment. This project is an important next step in achieving this goal,” said Beyond Celiac CEO Alice Bast. “It is an extension of work that we are pursuing with our partner the National Minority Quality Forum to identify populations where celiac disease may be overlooked or not even considered, based on racial, economic and geographic demographics.”

“Beyond Celiac is a vital conduit within the celiac disease community, so we are eager to expand our work together to better support people with celiac disease,” said Marcelo Freire M.D., Head of Gastroenterology, Global Medical Affairs at Takeda. “Improving diagnosis and increasing awareness of celiac disease, particularly among underrepresented communities, is an important endeavor with the potential to significantly improve patient inclusion and access to research and care.”  Added Sylvester Uwumarogie, MD, Associate Director and DE&I project lead, Global Medical Affairs.

Celiac disease is a serious immune-mediated disorder that affects an estimated 1 in 133 Americans, more than half of whom are still undiagnosed. The disease causes damage to the small intestine, resulting in debilitating symptoms, and if left untreated, can lead to serious long-term health problems including infertility and some types of cancer.