AstraZeneca research fund established

The AstraZeneca Research Endowment Fund for gastrointestinal endoscopic research has been established, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) announced this week.

This endowment, funded by AstraZeneca over a three-year period, intends to provide a resource for the financing of research to improve services related to clinical endoscopy.

Needs that will be investigated with this funding include better defining risk factors for colorectal cancer, improved diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding, refinement of endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde, the development of new techniques in the sector and related issues.

Doug Levine, executive director for clinical development at AstraZeneca, said: “Research programmes such as those supported by the ASGE Foundation are essential to improving patient outcomes.

“These programmes result in the development of new diagnostic and treatment options for patients with gastrointestinal diseases.”

He added that the company was pleased to assist the foundation in its research mission to improve the lives of patients in the gastroenterology sector.

In 2003, AstraZeneca presented data to the Digestive Diseases Week meeting in Florida reporting that its Nexium (esomeprazole) is the first proton pump inhibitor that has shown proven efficacy in the reduction of upper gastrointestinal symptoms when administered to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug users.