News & Events

Published On: 5/8/2023

Real World Evidence Leader Target RWE Shares Expansion and Update on TARGET-GASTRO Longitudinal Study During Digestive Disease Week 2023

DURHAM, N.C., May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today real world evidence (RWE) leader, Target RWE, shared new updates and insights from its comprehensive longitudinal gastroenterology community of more than 5,000 adult and pediatric enrolled patients, TARGET-GASTRO, during the annual Digestive Disease Week® meeting in Chicago, May 6-9.

Sponsored by Target RWE, TARGET-GASTRO captures real world data from patients with Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), indeterminate colitis (IBDU), as well as a recent expansion into eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs). An estimated 1.3% or 3 million adults in the United States are diagnosed with IBD annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As millions of people continue to be diagnosed with immune-mediated gastroenterological conditions each year, it has become evident that there is a need for real-world data to better understand and evaluate the disease and better inform innovation toward potentially merging treatments.

A front-runner in the real-world evidence space, TARGET-IBD was launched in 2017 and was the first registry within TARGET-GASTRO. The longitudinal, observational study is currently active with an enrollment goal of up to 15,000 participants. TARGET-IBD includes adults and children (age 2 or older) being managed for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or indeterminate colitis, who have plans for future visits at the site for continued management of IBD. There are 37 sites that have participated in TARGET-IBD (16 academic and 11 community).

"TARGET-IBD continues to collect valuable real-world data which enhances our understanding of the natural history of inflammatory bowel disease and the impact of different treatment paradigms on patient populations over time. This is particularly relevant given that robust pipelines of new molecules and biosimilar agents continue to have profound effects on patient management," said Millie D. Long, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, and Co-Chair of the TARGET-IBD steering committee.

Target RWE's platform aggregates various sets of consented, real-world patient data from medical records, patient-reported outcome measures, and clinically linked biospecimens. Partners can query the longitudinal dataset to support their drug development programs and RWE initiatives, and the outcomes from real-world evidence help doctors as they work to provide treatments to individual patients in real-life settings. Target RWE's advanced platform allows for at-a-glance analysis of these groups based on several characteristics including age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance status, geography, obesity, among others. Detailed medication and course of treatment information is also collected for analysis, including more than 20 Anti IL-21/23, Anti-Integrin, Anti-TNF and JAK inhibitors.

Target RWE also has a unique biorepository that includes over 150,000 biospecimen samples from consented participants across a broad range of therapeutic indications, including hepatology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and other diseases. Samples are collected leveraging an IRB-approved protocol and linked to de-identified clinically validated data derived from patient medical records and patient reported outcomes measures. TARGET-GASTRO's inventory includes thousands of whole blood and serum samples, which are collected, handled, and stored according to validated standard operating procedures and robust quality requirements.

"Target RWE communities, including TARGET-GASTRO, offer unparalleled breadth and depth of data that partners can use to track the courses of specific treatments. This information is essential in helping to inform and direct clinical research programs during an investigational product's path, as well as provide regulatory grade, consented post-approval data," said Michael W. Fried, M.D., FAASLD, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Target RWE. "There is currently no other company that can offer this level of specific, custom information."

Real world evidence from the TARGET-GASTRO community has been presented and published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and major academic conferences.

Target RWE recently announced the launch of 35 new disease state registries, which includes the entire spectrum of immune-mediated inflammatory conditions to capture valuable real world patient data to better understand these complex conditions and how treatment approaches may overlap.

Target RWE is attending the Digestive Disease Week annual meeting in Chicago, May 6-9, 2023, booth #2703. Follow us on Twitter (@TargetRWE) and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest news!