UEG Week Exhibition Celebrates 50 Years of Colonoscopy in Preventing and Diagnosing Gastrointestinal Diseases, Including Colorectal Cancer

Barcelona, Spain (ots/PRNewswire) - An interactive exhibition
celebrating the 50th anniversary since the completion of the first
successful colonoscopy has been launched at the United European
Gastroenterology (UEG) Week in Barcelona. The educational exhibition
is jointly supported by Norgine, Fujifilm and Olympus in association
with UEG Week.

In the 50 years since the first colonoscopy, the procedure has
become a crucial tool in the prevention and detection of
gastrointestinal disorders, including colorectal cancer. Despite
significant advances, however, the variation in uptake across Europe
demonstrates that colonoscopy is still not being fully utilised,
preventing optimal patient and health system outcomes.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8635251-ueg-week-celebrates-50-
years-colonoscopy/

Over 14,000 participants attending this year's UEG Week will have
the opportunity to visit this impressive exhibition showcasing five
decades of scientific advancements in colonoscopy. Visitors will be
taken on a fascinating journey into the past, present and future of
colonoscopy through fine art, engaging storytelling, interactive
memorabilia and breath-taking science and technology.

The exhibition pays homage to pioneers of medicine who worked hard
to advance the procedure to better diagnose and care for their
patients. At the heart of this exhibition lies the impact colonoscopy
has had on patients' lives. The canvasses that have been painted by
artist Fabric Lenny bring to life the stories of some of the many
patients whose lives have been touched by colonoscopy. Attendees will
be able to admire artworks celebrating life and also speak to an
artist in person, who will be capturing live their experience and
anecdotes about the importance of colonoscopy and what their thoughts
and hopes are for the next 50 years.

UEG President Mr Paul Fockens commented, "We have come a long way
since the introduction of this important technique. Colonoscopy is a
potentially life-saving procedure for many patients and has a vital
role to play in enhancing digestive health. Today we celebrate
scientific dedication and cutting-edge technology to care for
patients."

Mr Peter Stein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Norgine
added, "We are proud of the important contribution we have made to
improving both the patient experience of colonoscopy and the efficacy
of the procedure. Colonoscopy plays a critical role in the prevention
and diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases including colorectal
cancer. We are honoured to have worked together with UEG, Fujifilm
and Olympus to celebrate the achievements of the past 50 years and to
look forward to the technological advancements of the future that
will help to further transform the lives of patients."

Mr Takemasa Kojima, Head of European Marketing & Sales, Fujifilm
said, "We are delighted to support this important exhibition which
brings together the pioneering history of colonoscopy with the
ambition to continuously evolve best-in-breed technologies now and in
the future. Colonoscopy is one of the areas that drives our
innovation to increase the diagnostic and therapeutic performance
enhancing physicians' capabilities without limitations."

Dr. Harald Dremel, Director Medical Endoscopy Group, Olympus
Europa SE & Co. KG commented, "It is our vision that one day the only
place where we will see colorectal cancer is in history books. To
decrease mortality, we need to not only drive innovation but also
facilitate better access to more effective screening and treatment.
We believe that together we can push the limits of endoscopy, so that
one day our vision might become true."

Notes to Editors

About Colorectal Cancer (CRC) and colonoscopy

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of
cancer-related mortality world-wide.1 Colorectal cancer is largely
preventable, with early detection being associated with a 90% with a
90% 5-year survival rate.2 Colonoscopy is an effective method for
colorectal cancer screening and has been shown to reduce both the
incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer when applied in the
general population. Inadequate pre-colonoscopy bowel cleansing
reduces the diagnostic accuracy of colonoscopy, particularly for the
detection of smaller lesions and sessile (slightly flattened) polyps.
This may result in repeated procedures, thereby potentially
increasing patient burden, resource requirement and costs and can
possibly delay the initiation of treatment.3,4,5

The first successful colonoscopy of the entire colon was performed
in June 1969 by Dr William Wolff and his associates at the Beth
Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, New York. Three months later, the
first endoscopic excision of polyps from anywhere in the colon was
also completed. Today, colonoscopy is one of the most sensitive tests
currently available to help diagnose and prevent colorectal cancer.
It also plays a key role in the monitoring of inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD). Despite this, a lot still needs to be done to increase
awareness of the importance of screening, and the role of
colonoscopy.

About UEG Week (https://www.ueg.eu/week/)

UEG Week is the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology
meeting in Europe and has developed into a global congress. It
attracts over 14,000 participants each year, from more than 120
countries, and numbers are steadily rising. UEG Week provides a forum
for basic and clinical scientists from across the globe to present
their latest research in digestive and liver diseases, and also
features a two-day postgraduate course that brings together top
lecturers in their fields for a weekend of interactive learning.

About UEG

UEG, or United European Gastroenterology, is a professional
non-profit organisation combining all the leading European medical
specialist and national societies focusing on digestive health.
Together, its member societies represent over 30,000 specialists,
working across medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gastrointestinal
oncology and endoscopy. This makes UEG the most comprehensive
organisation of its kind in the world, and a unique platform for
collaboration and the exchange of knowledge.

To advance the standards of gastroenterological care and knowledge
across the world and to reduce the burden of digestive diseases, UEG
offers numerous activities and initiatives, including:

- UEG Week (https://www.ueg.eu/week/), the biggest congress of its
kind in Europe, and one of the two largest in the world
- UEG Education (https://www.ueg.eu/education/), the universal source
of knowledge in gastroenterology, providing online and classroom
courses, a huge online library and delivering the latest GI news,
fostering debate and discussion
- Activity Grants
(https://www.ueg.eu/awards-grants/ueg-awards/activity-grants/),
promoting and funding educational projects in the field of
digestive health to advance and harmonise the training and
continuing education of professionals
- UEG Journal (http://www.ueg.eu/journal/), covering translational
and clinical studies from all areas of gastroenterology
- Public Affairs (http://www.ueg.eu/eu-affairs/activities/),
promoting research, prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of
digestive diseases, and helping develop an effective health policy
for Europe
- Quality of Care (https://www.ueg.eu/guidelines/), European-based
and English clinical practice guidelines, clinical standards,
consensus, position papers and standard protocols in the field of
digestive health, are available in the repository.

Find out more about UEG's work by visiting www.ueg.eu

Follow UEG on Twitter (https://twitter.com/my_ueg?lang=en-gb)

About Norgine

Across the globe in 2018, Norgine is proud to have helped 23
million patients and generated EUR395 million in net product sales to
reinvest in medicines for the future, a growth of 15% over 2017.

Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company
that has been bringing transformative medicines to patients for over
a century. We understand the complexities of the European healthcare
systems and have a direct presence in 14 European countries, as well
as Australia and New Zealand. We also have a strong global network of
partnerships in non-Norgine markets.

We are a flexible and fully integrated pharmaceutical business,
with manufacturing (Hengoed, Wales and Dreux, France), third party
supply networks and significant product development capabilities, in
addition to our sales and marketing infrastructure. This enables us
to acquire, develop and commercialise specialist and innovative
products that make a real difference to the lives of patients around
the world.

In 2012, Norgine established a complementary business, Norgine
Ventures, supporting innovative healthcare companies through the
provision of debt-like financing in Europe and the US. For more
information, please visit www.norgineventures.com

Follow us on twitter @norgine (https://twitter.com/norgine)or
visit us at www.norgine.com

NORGINE and the sail logo are trademarks of the Norgine group of
companies.

About Fujifilm

Fujifilm Europe GmbH (Duesseldorf, Germany) acts as strategic
headquarter for the region and supports its group companies in Europe
by formulating marketing and corporate strategies. Fujifilm entities
operate in over 50 group companies and branches in Europe and employ
around 4,500 people engaged in R&D, manufacturing, sales, and
service. Throughout Europe they serve a range of industries including
medical technology, graphic systems, electronic materials, chemicals,
optical devices, recording media, and photography. Over the last
decade, the company has more intensively focused on healthcare, and
now looks back on over 80 years of experience in medical imaging.
Today, Fujifilm provides the entire spectrum of patient care, ranging
from prevention to diagnostics and therapy solutions. Today, research
and development in medicine, bio-pharmaceuticals, as well as
regenerative medicine are part of Fujifilm's unique portfolio.

For more information, please visit: www.fujifilm.eu

About Olympus

Olympus Europa is the headquarters for the region Europe, Middle
East and Africa (EMEA) of the Olympus Corporation, Tokyo. As a
worldwide leading manufacturer of optical and digital precision
technology, Olympus provides innovative solutions for
state-of-the-art medical systems, digital cameras as well as
scientific solutions in the fields of microscopy and industrial
inspection. The company's award-winning products are instrumental in
detecting, preventing and healing illness, driving scientific
research and documenting life with artistic freedom. In the hands of
its customers, Olympus' high-tech products help to make people's
lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling.

Follow us on twitter @OlympusMedEMEA
(https://twitter.com/olympusmedemea?) or visit us at
www.olympus-europa.com

References

1. World Health Organisation. Cancer Fact Sheet
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer Last
accessed April 2019
2. American Cancer Society. Can Colorectal Polyps and Cancer Found
Early? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/detection
-diagnosis-staging/detection.html Last accessed April 2019
3. Bechtold ML, Mir F, Puli SR et al. Optimizing bowel preparation
for colonoscopy: a guide to enhance quality of visualization. Ann
Gastroenterol 2016; 29: 137 - 146
4. Brenner H, Stock C, Hoffmeister M. Effect of screening
sigmoidoscopy and screening colonoscopy on colorectal cancer
incidence and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis of
randomised controlled trials and observational studies. BMJ 2014;
348: g2467
5. Baxter NN, Warren JL, Barrett MJ et al. Association between
colonoscopy and colorectal cancer mortality in a US cohort
according to site of cancer and colonoscopist specialty. J Clin
Oncol 2012; 30: 2664 - 2669

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ots Originaltext: UEG Week
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Contact:
Eleni Fistikaki +44 (0)1895826227 or +44 (0)7825 389477
contact@norgine.com
Clara Bentham +44 (0)1895 826654 or +44 (0)7734 367883
contact@norgine.com
Matthias Gengenbach
Senior Communication Manager
+49 40 23773 5867 matthias.gengenbach@olympus-europa.com
To book a media interview with a colonoscopy expert please contact:
Luke Paskins +44 (0)7732 499170
Find out more about UEG's work Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or
media@ueg.eu

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