Autoimmune Diseases

The therapeutic area of autoimmunology deals with diseases in which the patient’s natural immune system targets its own cells and tissues, causing severe inflammation and damage. Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are among the most common autoimmune diseases in the field of gastroenterology. Of some 400,000 people affected in Germany, most suffer from crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The patients’ quality of life is often severely compromised. 

There are many causes of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. In addition to genetic factors, dietary habits and environmental factors may play a role. Fortunately, great progress has been made on therapies for these diseases in recent years. Patient-specific therapies with antibodies suppress the body’s immune reaction and can prevent the inflammatory response. 

Inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia, or ankylosing spondylitis are also autoimmune diseases. They are often accompanied by severe pain and affect the entire musculoskeletal system, particularly joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. Rheumatic diseases are mostly chronic and cannot be cured. With rheumatism, the aim of treatment is also to alleviate symptoms and slow the ongoing degradation of joints caused by the inflammation.

^{Please note: all the information provided here is only intended to provide a general overview of the therapeutic areas and some selected symptoms for which our patient-specific therapies are used. They are not intended to be exhaustive, nor are they a substitute for professional medical or pharmaceutical advice. Please ask your physician or pharmacist if you have any questions!}