* It is estimated that more than 11 million IBS sufferers have not been diagnosed yet1,2,3
* Sanofi and Babylon are offering an online AI Health Service for those who suffer from digestive health issues
* The first 400 consumers will be offered a free face-to-face video consultation with a doctor
Only an estimated 30% of people in the UK who suffer from the common condition IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) have actually been diagnosed2 and, of those, 61% often mistreat with analgesics or antacids4. Analgesics mask rather than treat the symptoms of IBS. Of those suffering from frequent constipation, only 40% effectively treat their condition with a constipation product or laxative5.
To tackle these digestive health problems and enable UK consumers to access trusted treatment advice, pharma company Sanofi and its Consumer Healthcare division, a leader in the OTC market and, specifically, the digestive health category, is supporting a three-month pilot access to Babylon, a technology-enabled healthcare start-up. Babylon’s service provides consumers quick advice through their smartphones via a video consultation with a doctor or artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot.
A lack of health advice often means sufferers do not partake in any treatment at all to alleviate their uncomfortable symptoms, hence there is an immense unmet need to improve healthcare access and provide more information within this sector. A symptom checker which launched on the brand websites of Buscopan and Dulcolax, Sanofi’s over the counter digestive health products, has received more than 100,000 visits per month6, highlighting patient demand for more information.
Babylon’s AI Health Service enables consumers to sign up, input their health query and have a conversation with the AI Health Assistant, which provides them with triage and treatment advice. If people need further assistance, Sanofi is sponsoring a free video consultation for the first 400 consumers. The consumers only need to visit the Buscopan or Dulcolax brand websites from where they can register to access the free service and get convenient delivery of expert advice wherever they are, whenever they need.
Roberto Labella, Medical Head CHC North Europe at Sanofi, explains: “As a leader in the digestive health category, we knew people were looking for reliable information around IBS and constipation, so we wanted to provide a value-added tech service that would better help them. The service from Babylon Health simplifies healthcare access and can be synced seamlessly to our existing digital channels, making it a great fit. We believe it will really enable those with digestive health issues to get the speedy advice they need, when visiting a doctor or pharmacist is not possible, to live healthier and fuller lives.”
Dr Keith Grimes, Clinical Innovation Director at Babylon, adds: “Our mission at Babylon is to put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on earth, so we are really excited to launch this pilot with Sanofi that hopefully will help a huge number of people get the medical information they need from a trusted online source. Our app not only helps people recognise whether their symptoms are likely to be treatable, but also helps them look at how their diet, health and mood combined affect their health and what they can do to improve it. With the world facing a vast shortage of medical experts, we need to find ways to get information to the patients who need it and help stop small problems become larger ones.”
To use the tool, please visit: https://www.buscopan.co.uk/irritable-bowel-syndrome/do-you-have-ibs/symptom-checker-tool
Or, https://www.dulcolax.co.uk/need-to-know/symptoms/symptom-checker
About Sanofi
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.
With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.
Sanofi, Empowering Life
For more information please visit www.sanofi.co.uk.
About Babylon
Babylon is a world-leading healthtech company that aims to put accessible and affordable healthcare in the hands of every person on Earth through its AI-driven, healthcare platform that helps people stay well and get better faster, all whilst helping doctors achieve more with their time.
We combine technology and medical expertise to bring doctors and people closer together. Through a range of digital services – such as AI-backed digital health tools and video doctor appointments – we give people round-the-clock access to affordable (often free) holistic healthcare services. We work with governments, health providers and insurers across the globe, and support healthcare facilities from small local practices to large hospitals.
Our AI is designed to empower people with knowledge about their health and help relieve pressure on clinicians. It mimics the way a doctor operates, performing some of the cognitive tasks they carry out, such as interpreting, reasoning, decision-making and learning.
We have over 3.6 million users and have completed over 1.2 million consultations globally. Some of our partners include the NHS, Samsung, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bupa.
References
1 Internal Brand Tracker- UK -2018
2 Professor Corsetti, M et al (January 2017) – IBS Global Impact Report, Allergan: https://allergan-web-cdn-prod.azureedge.net/allerganuk/allerganukzinc/media/allergan-uk/uk_global_ibs_impact_report.pdf pp.10 [Accessed 25th February 2020]
3 Office for National Statistics (August 2019) Overview of the UK population: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/articles/overviewoftheukpopulation/august2019 [Accessed 25the February 2020]
4Boeringer Ingelheim – Buscopan quant. growth potential study – United Kingdom [10th November 2015]
5 Source BPT Full year 2018
6 Google.com – Google Analytics [online] Available at: http://www.google.com/analytics/ [Accessed Feb 2020]
