Dubai Hosted the Fourth Annual Takeda Regional Summit on the Latest Gastroenterology Research and Treatments

Over 200 experts and scientists from the region and around the world participated

Dubai, UAE – June 18, 2014 – Over 200 scientists and experts heard the latest research and treatments in the field of gastroenterology aiming at preventing and curing: acid reflux disorders, endoscopy, liver diseases and inflammatory bowel disease. The annual summit, which is hosted by Takeda, took place over a span of two days recently in Dubai, UAE. Takeda, which has a rich legacy and strong expertise in the field of gastroenterology, organised the summit with the aim to enrich scientific knowledge and education in this sector. 

Dr. Hisham El-Ezaby, Executive Director Scientific Affairs, Takeda Middle East, Turkey & Africa said: “The scientific summit prepared for 2014 which hosted over 200 experts in the domain of gastroenterology from around the world provided a unique platform to exchange experiences, findings, and discuss the latest cures in this domain.” He also emphasized on the outstanding interaction that took place between regional and international experts and counted it as the biggest achievement for this summit. 

“Diseases related to gastroenterology are on the rise in the region. Acid reflux is becoming a common issue, even among children with almost 20 per cent of the population now suffering from the condition,” Dr. Hisham El-Ezaby said. “While this condition is common worldwide, it has become particularly common in the Middle East over the last decade. The summit offered an important platform to address this rising issue, its diagnosis and treatments.”

The regional summit, which was accredited by the Royal College of Physicians in the UK, attracted scientists and experts from the USA, UK, Egypt, KSA, UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and Iran. “We are very proud given the chance to host and organize such an outstanding and elite scientific event. This enables us to emphasize our commitment towards patients and the whole medical community. Our support towards similar events and scientific programs is an ongoing one for sure” said Dr. Hisham El-Ezaby. 

The first session revolved around discussing acid reflux issues which has increased its spread to 33% according to recent studies. This session was led by Dr. Mohammad Ramadan Baddar from Egypt associated with Dr. Youssef Qari from Saudi Arabia, where they spoke about the unmet medical need with current PPIs and presented best practices done on gastric polyps.
Another segment of the first session was presented by the American Professor, David Peura, M.D., on gastroenterology bleeding prevention. In the second session, five experts from USA, KSA, UAE and Egypt contributed to discussions revolving around endoscopy, colon cancer, and gastroenterology bleeding.

The second day of the summit witnessed a vast instructiveness from the participants mainly around the liver diseases’ topic. The third session focused on liver diseases and the rapid advance in epidemiology of genetic viral hepatitis C and the best timing to send the patient for a liver transplant. A unique debate took place in the fourth session where unmet needs where discussed in the field of inflammatory bowel disease and how to fill the gaps in this sector.

The sessions were concluded by Doctor Ahmad Al Fadly from Kuwait presenting the current treatment options for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and Professor Simon Travis from Britain ended the summit by presenting the final notes and conclusions of the summit.

Concluded recommendations from this summit revolved around the vitality of increasing the focus on advancing research to cure and prevent liver and gastroenterology diseases.