Welcome to UCB in Canada

FASTRAX

Streamlining diagnosis and care for people living with AxSpA

People living with chronic diseases need holistic, sustainable solutions that go beyond treatment. They need care that seamlessly integrates into their lives and empowers them to live the lives they choose. 

At UCB, we’re committed to elevating the standard of care by going beyond the science. Harnessing cutting-edge technology, novel approaches and close stakeholder collaboration allows us to address specific unmet needs, personalize treatment opportunities and better support patients where they need it most.  

Our FASTRAX program is an example of this commitment, where we have leveraged our expertise in rheumatology to solve an urgent unmet need. FASTRAX addresses the critical issue of delayed diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis in the lower back. axSpA is often mistaken as generic back pain, which causes patients to remain undiagnosed and untreated for several years.

Elderly couple laying in a hammock over grass

The path to an axSpA diagnosis is often long. Symptoms are frequently missed or misinterpreted, and patients are passed between healthcare providers without answers or specialized treatment. As time passes, their symptoms become more severe, potentially leading to irreversible damage to their spine and joints. But the impact of axSpA goes beyond physical pain; the burden of living with chronic inflammatory arthritis for years can also take a toll on mental and emotional well-being, affecting every aspect of the lives of those waiting for a diagnosis.

Infographic showing timeline of symptom management of undifferentiated back pain and accelerated rheumatologist intervention with Fastrax. Image indicates addressing barriers of estimated impact of unmanaged back pain (-6 to -12 billion dollars per year) and of estimated rheumatologist shortage (200) in Canada. Image also indicates halving diagnosis time of 4.5 years. (Image opens in modal window)Infographic showing timeline of symptom management of undifferentiated back pain and accelerated rheumatologist intervention with Fastrax. Image indicates addressing barriers of estimated impact of unmanaged back pain (-6 to -12 billion dollars per year) and of estimated rheumatologist shortage (200) in Canada. Image also indicates halving diagnosis time of 4.5 years.

With FASTRAX, our ambition is to create a seamless patient and healthcare professional experience, from the first signs of symptoms to appropriate referral and timely diagnosis. To achieve this, FASTRAX has partnered with the University Health Network, The Ottawa Hospital and Thunder Bay Rheumatology to implement and expand an interdisciplinary model of care integrating specialty trained physiotherapists called Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC), who work alongside rheumatologists. Together, they aim to streamline the patient journey, ultimately shortening the time to diagnosis for axSpA patients. Through early intervention, FASTRAX is poised to make significant strides in improving patient outcomes.

Infographic showing timeline of symptom management of undifferentiated back pain with standard therapist and specialist referrals with longer wait times and eventual rheumatologist intervention after around 9 years. (Image opens in modal window)Infographic showing timeline of symptom management of undifferentiated back pain with standard therapist and specialist referrals with longer wait times and eventual rheumatologist intervention after around 9 years.

Moving forward, FASTRAX Canada aims to expand to additional sites and engage with other healthcare providers with the goal of influencing healthcare delivery to reach and support as many axSpA patients across Canada as possible.