The Unbeatables: a new team of superheroes of the inflammatory bowel disease community

Superheroes are known to be inspirational, shaping our culture and beliefs and expanding our understanding of the world. And now superheroes are helping us fight for our health.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals is the first pharmaceutical company to partner with Marvel Custom Solutions on a global disease awareness campaign: ‘IBD Unmasked’. The programme aims to highlight both the heroic daily battles and the remarkable strength of the unsung superheroes of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) community.

IBD Unmasked centres on telling real-life experiences of people living with IBD through visual storytelling and graphic illustration.

There are more than 5 million people worldwide who live with IBD, which includes the two most common types — ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. For many of these people, everyday activities such as getting together with friends or even leaving the house to go to work can be a real challenge.

IBD Unmasked centres on telling real-life experiences of people living with IBD through visual storytelling and graphic illustration. It has been co-created with an international panel of IBD patients who have provided invaluable insights into the physical and emotional battles they face every day. The new team of superheroes, called “The Unbeatables”, feature not just patients with IBD but some of their support network, too, including a nurse and family member. Their story is being written by Fabian Nicieza, best known for his work on Deadpool.

We recently launched The Unbeatables as well as the first chapter of their story at the end of October 2016 during the international MCM Comic Con meeting in London. Our focus for the coming months is rolling out new content, more stories, as well as launching the programme in different countries to reach as many people as possible.

We believe that through IBD Unmasked we can continue to celebrate the strength that people with IBD exhibit every day and go on to spark powerful conversations, transform perceptions and, ultimately, improve understanding of its impact in a creative and compelling way. For further information about the campaign, visit www.ibdunmasked.com or follow the story at @IBDUnmasked on Twitter. We encourage pharmacists and their staff to share this with their patients with IBD, especially the younger generation or those recently diagnosed.

Danny Stepto

Director, global product and pipeline communications

Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, The Unbeatables: a new team of superheroes of the inflammatory bowel disease community;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201945

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