Janssen Biotech Inc. Launches New Platform Focused On Improving Disease Monitoring For People Living With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)

HORSHAM, Pa., Nov. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Biotech, Inc. today announced the launch of Gut Check, a new platform to help improve disease monitoring for the 1.6 million Americans living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)^[1]. Gut Check offers a mobile application for patients and a dashboard for healthcare professionals, designed to enhance communication between patients and their HCPs.

With Gut Check, people living with IBD can track their daily symptoms and lifestyle habits via the mobile application and share this information in real-time with their healthcare professionals (HCPs). The application leverages bi-weekly patient-reported outcome surveys (PROMIS^[2]) validated by the National Institute of Health to help assess progress over time. HCPs can use Gut Check to view their patients' data through a HIPAA-compliant dashboard on their tablet or computer. Using the dashboard, they can filter and compare patient data within their practice, local data and national data.

"From my experience, people living with IBD often underreport their symptoms they tend to focus on how they have been feeling the past few days versus the past few months," said Dr. Ralph McKibbin, gastroenterologist, Blair Gastroenterology Associates. "Early intervention is key when it comes to caring for IBD. New platforms like Gut Check will help me to more closely monitor my patients in real-time."

Additional GutCheck features for patients include:

• Bi-weekly, NIH -validated PROMIS^® surveys to help track patients' symptoms and progress over time
• Health Tracker for patients to monitor their daily well-being
• A GPS-enabled bathroom finder, complete with ratings and reviews
• Ability to share activity and engagement via social media channels
• Informative tips on IBD-related topics, including diet and exercise
• An integrated calendar to organize appointments and local IBD community events
• Tokens and comparative status ranking earned through engagement

"Managing IBD is a significant challenge, and improving the efficiency and timeliness of communication between patients and healthcare professionals is critical in providing optimal care," said Andrew Greenspan, M.D., vice president of medical affairs at Janssen Biotech, Inc. "We created Gut Check to enable real-time communication between healthcare professionals and patients, with the ultimate goal of enabling HCPs to more closely monitor disease progression."

The Gut Check application is free for individuals living with IBD, and the Gut Check dashboard (to connect with patients) is free for healthcare professionals. Gut Check is now available in the Apple App Store^® and Google Play^®. For more information, visit www.gutcheckapp.com.

About Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect approximately 1.6 million Americans, or 1 in 200 people, with the incidence evenly split between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. IBD affects men and women equally and can strike at any age. While both inflammatory bowel diseases have similar symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and fatigue, Crohn's disease can affect any part of the GI tract, whereas ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon. Although considerable progress has been made in IBD research, investigators do not yet know what causes IBD. There is currently no medical cure for ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

About Janssen Biotech, Inc.
Janssen Biotech, Inc. redefines the standard of care in immunology, oncology, urology, and nephrology. Built upon a rich legacy of innovative firsts, Janssen Biotech has delivered on the promise of new treatments and ways to improve the health of individuals with serious disease.

Beyond its innovative medicines, Janssen Biotech is at the forefront of developing education and public policy initiatives to ensure patients and their families, caregivers, advocates, and healthcare professionals have access to the latest treatment information, support services, and quality care. For more information on Janssen Biotech, Inc. or its products, visit
www.janssenbiotech.com.

Janssen Biotech is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies dedicated to addressing and solving some of the most important unmet medical needs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and vaccines, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Driven by our commitment to patients, we work together to bring innovative ideas, products, services and solutions to people throughout the world. Follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/JanssenUS.

^[1] Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America, What are Crohn's & Colitis? http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/. Accessed July 27, 2015.
^[2] Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) survey

Contact:
Caroline Pavis
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
Office: 215-325-2599
Mobile: 610-357-3121
CPavis@its.jnj.com

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SOURCE Janssen Biotech, Inc.