World AS Day 2025 – Why earlier diagnosis of axSpA is critical for better outcomes

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease that primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac joints.  Symptoms can start in early adulthood and worsen over time.  In some cases non-radiographic-axSpA, without adequate control, can potentially progress to axial spondyloarthritis (AS) causing irreversible damage in the spine.

One of the greatest challenges of people living with axSpA is the time it takes to be diagnosed. On average, it can take up to seven years from the onset of symptoms to receive a formal diagnosis. During this time, people may experience chronic pain, fatigue and reduced mobility, punctuated by unpredictable disease flares and a growing risk of permanent damage. At UCB, we see it as one of the clearest unmet needs for people living with axSpA.

That’s why this weekend, UCB will join with partners around the world, including the Axial Spondyloarthritis International Federation (ASIF), to recognize World AS Day 2025 and raise awareness of what people living with the disease experience. We’re also proud to join in on the “Walk your AS off” initiative, bringing people together from all over the world, challenging ourselves and those living with axSpA to stay active and raising awareness.

At UCB, we believe the burden of axSpA, especially the burden of being undiagnosed, should not go unrecognized or unchallenged. Our goal is to halve the time to diagnosis for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases like axSpA. Because earlier diagnosis doesn’t just change the clinical course, it can help give people their time, mobility and confidence back.  Through initiatives like FASTRAX, a collection of country-specific programs, we're working to accelerate diagnosis and improve the patient journey from the first signs of symptoms to timely specialist referral. Whether it's using AI tools in primary care in France and the US, supporting innovative triage models in Canada, or rolling out patient-initiated follow-up platforms with the NHS in the UK, FASTRAX is helping create more responsive, personalized pathways to care.

As someone who spent years practicing as a rheumatologist, I know it’s essential that, in addition to supporting HCPs, we empower people living with axSpA to speak up about their symptoms, even when those symptoms don’t fit the typical back pain narrative. They should feel heard, believed and supported in their search for answers. That’s why I’m proud to be part of a team working to help people identify axSpA earlier, not just through campaigns like World AS Day, but by embedding patient perspectives into everything we do.

Our goal is to transform care for people living with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases by making health care systems more responsive, inclusive, and person-centered. Because behind every statistic there is a person. And every step we take toward reducing diagnostic delay is a step toward living their best lives.