Janssen
Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson’s medical pharmaceuticals branch,
celebrated the International Day of “Inflammatory Bowel Diseases” by lighting
the Pyramids and the Sphinx purple to join the movement and celebrations
worldwide made to raise awareness about the growing disease.
The
celebration of the International Day is performed by lighting famous landmarks
around the world in the purple color, in order to raise awareness about the
dangers of bowel diseases and urge governments and healthcare professionals to
take action and to show support to the five million people around the globe
that live with IBD. And so, over the weekend, as landmarks worldwide such as
the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janero and the
Colosseum in Roma were turned purple for a day, Egypt’s historically monumental
pyramids and the great sphinx were also lit in purple to demonstrate the
nation’s adoption of the awareness campaign.
Mr.
Willem-Jan Blok, General Manager of the organizing company behind the Pyramids’
lighting – Janssen Pharmaceuticals Egypt and North Africa, explained on behalf
of the company that: "IBD spreads rapidly and our role is to make the
Egyptian people more aware of the dangers, symptoms and available cures of the
disease and empower the local medical institutions with the research and
medical resources necessary for eradicating the disease in Egypt.”
The ceremony
was attended by representatives from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, as well as
representatives from the Egyptian Association of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
(ESIBD), the society collaborating with Janssen Pharmaceuticals to implement
the IBD medical campaign in Egypt, such as Dr. Sherif Abdel Fattah, Honorary
President of the Society; Dr. Osama Abada, President of the Society, Secretary
Generals of the Society: Dr. Mazen Naja, Dr. Amr Fati and Dr. Afifi Fahmy; Dr.
Ezzat Ali, Treasurer of the Society; and Dr. Maha Maher, Scientific Coordinator
of the Society.
