UCB go ‘Under the Skin’ with new hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) podcast

As part of UCB’s commitment to raising the standard of care for patients suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), ‘Under the Skin’, UCB’s latest podcast series, draws back the curtain on this debilitating, chronic inflammatory skin disease.

Aimed at healthcare professionals looking to learn more about HS, this podcast aims to shed light on this under-recognised disease, following the often complex patient journey from pre-diagnosis through to disease management. 

Hosted by Dr Barry McGrath (HS patient advocate and co-founder of HS Ireland), each episode in this five-part series invites a new expert guest to share their knowledge of treating HS and to discuss one of the many facets of the patient experience.

All currently available episodes are listed below, and you can subscribe to the series on Spotify to catch all episodes as they’re released (for healthcare professionals only).

Achieving better health outcomes for patients

 

This podcast is aimed at healthcare professionals, produced and funded by UCB.

In our fifth episode, our host, Dr Barry McGrath, PhD, is joined by Dr Antonio Martorell, a leading physician from Spain, to discuss the evolving landscape of care in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Together, they delve into the importance of individualised treatment approaches, the role of shared decision-making in patient care, and the promising future of HS management. The conversation also highlights emerging diagnostic and treatment techniques, including the use of technology and AI to better support patients remotely.   

Episode chapters:

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

01:02 What the public knows about HS

04:11 How patients perceive HS

09:21 How dermatologists perceive HS

17:00 How we envision HS being perceived in the future

25:27 Close 

Speaker disclosures:

Dr Barry McGrath has received consulting fees, research or institutional support and educational grants from UCB; he has received consultancy/advisory board disease-related honoraria from Novartis and UCB.

Antonio Martorell has received honoraria and/or travel grants and/or has acted as an advisory board member for Novartis, AbbVie, Janssen-Cilag, UCB, Lilly, LEO Pharma, L’Oreal, Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, Almirall, ​Bristol Myers Squibb and Amgen. He has also worked as a principal investigator in clinical trials supported by AbbVie, UCB, Janssen, ​Bristol Myers Squibb, Lilly, Galderma, Sanofi and Novartis.​

 

Patient expectations and different perspectives of HS.


In our fourth episode, our host Dr Barry McGrath, PhD, is joined by Dr Fiona Collier, a former general practitioner from Scotland, and Laurelle-Maria Sterling, a patient with HS who is very active in HS support networks. Together, they explore public perceptions of HS, the views of dermatologists, and their own hopes for the future of HS treatment and awareness. 


Episode chapters:

00:00 - Welcome and Introduction

02:32 - What the public knows about HS

08:57 - How patients perceive HS

18:12 - How dermatologists perceive HS

29:25 - How we envision HS being perceived in the future

34:10 - Close 

Speaker disclosures:

Dr Barry McGrath has received consulting fees, research or institutional support and educational grants from UCB; he has received consultancy/advisory board disease-related honoraria from Incyte, Novartis, and UCB.

Dr Fiona Collier has received consulting fees and speaker honoraria from UCB.

Laurelle-Maria Sterling has received honorarium from UCB for this podcast. 

 

Why is there a delay in HS patient diagnosis?


 

For our third episode, joining our host Dr Barry McGrath, PhD, is esteemed HS surgeon, Dr Philippe Guillem from Lyon, France. On this episode, they explore the various barriers to, and the consequences of, an HS diagnosis, and discuss how we can work towards achieving an earlier diagnosis together.  

 

Episode chapters:

00:00 - Welcome and introduction

02:29 - Early signs and symptoms of HS  

04:13 - Time to diagnosis  

09:34 - Barriers to diagnosis

25:30 - Achieving earlier diagnosis

30:00 - Episode close

 

Speaker disclosures:

Dr Barry McGrath, and Dr Philippe Guillem have received consulting fees, research or institutional support and educational grants from UCB.

Dr Barry McGrath, PhD, has received consultancy/advisory board disease-related honoraria from Novartis and UCB.

Dr Philippe Guillem has received consultancy/advisory board disease-related honoraria from AbbVie, Novartis and UCB. 

 

 

How does HS affect patients?


 

For our second episode, our host Dr Barry McGrath is joined by Professor Falk Bechara, a dermatologist who is Head of the Department of Dermatologic Surgery at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Together, they discuss the profound physical, psychological and social impacts that hidradenitis suppurativa can have on a patient’s quality of life.

Please note, this episode briefly discusses suicide (20:28–22:35); listener discretion is advised.

Episode chapters:
00:30 - Introducing Professor Falk Bechara
01:45 - Background of HS
03:03 - Impact on patient’s quality of life
12:08 - Physical symptoms of HS
18:36 - Symptoms of HS on a person’s mental and psychological health
25:48 - HS effects on a person’s social life
31:27 - Measurement of HS severity
36:43 - Episode close

 

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Speaker disclosures

Dr Barry McGrath and Professor Falk Bechara have received consulting fees, research or institutional support and educational grants from UCB.

Barry McGrath, PhD, has received consultancy/advisory board disease-related honoraria from Novartis and UCB.

Falk G. Bechara has received honoraria for participation in advisory boards, in clinical trials, and/or as a speaker from AbbVie Inc., AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Novartis Pharma GmbH, UCB Pharma, Incyte Corporation, Janssen-Cilag GmbH, MoonLake, Dr. Wolff, Mölnlycke and Celltrion.

What is the bigger picture in HS?


 

Episode 1 welcomes Dr John Ingram (Consultant Dermatologist at Cardiff University) in conversation with our host Dr Barry McGrath (co-founder of HS Ireland) to share an overview of HS, its presentation in patients, epidemiology and global prevalence.

Episode chapters:
01:25 - Introducing Dr John Ingram
02:44 - Background and pathobiology of HS
09:00 - HS patient demographics
15:18 - HS global and EU epidemiology
25:58 - HS among other diseases

 

Speaker disclosures

Dr Barry McGrath and Dr John Ingram have received consulting fees, research or institutional support and educational grants from UCB.

Barry McGrath, PhD, has received consultancy/advisory board disease related honoraria from Novartis and UCB.
Dr John Ingram receives a stipend as Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Dermatology and an authorship honorarium from UpToDate. He is a consultant for AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, ChemoCentryx, Citryll, Novartis, and UCB, and has served on advisory boards for Insmed, Kymera Therapeutics, and Viela Bio. He is a co-copyright holder of HiSQOL, Investigator Global Assessment, and Patient Global Assessment instruments for HS. His department receives income from copyright of the Dermatology Life Quality Instrument (DLQI) and related instruments.


Dr Barry McGrath and Professor Falk Bechara have received consulting fees, research or institutional support and educational grants from UCB.

Barry McGrath, PhD, has received consultancy/advisory board disease-related honoraria from Novartis and UCB.

Falk G. Bechara has received honoraria for participation in advisory boards, in clinical trials, and/or as a speaker from AbbVie Inc., AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Novartis Pharma GmbH, UCB Pharma, Incyte Corporation, Janssen-Cilag GmbH, MoonLake, Dr. Wolff, Mölnlycke and Celltrion.