Integrated Annual
Report 2025

Helping women of childbearing age make more informed decisions about their health

We have established a leadership position in generating evidence to better inform women of childbearing age (WoCBA) during pregnancy, family planning and breastfeeding. This commitment began with CIMZIA^{® 1} and has shaped our approach ever since. CIMZIA^®’s unique molecular structure made it possible to study treatment use during pregnancy, at a time when most companies avoided research in this population.

UCB has also advanced important WoCBA initiatives in epilepsy, where we continue to generate evidence and raise awareness to support women throughout their reproductive years. Building on this extensive expertise and the positive feedback from the FDA and the EMA, UCB is advancing its commitment by exploring the opportunity to generate earlier evidence for pregnant women living with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a population facing high unmet needs throughout their family planning and pregnancy journey.

In addition to trials, we leverage innovative approaches to gathering evidence. Through a social listening study analyzing over 1.2 million posts from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S., we gained more insights into the critical gaps in healthcare coverage from women navigating pregnancy and chronic illness.

We are collaborating with leading patient organizations and experts worldwide to foster conversations and drive meaningful actions on these important issues.

Building on this leadership, we are strategically expanding our focus to better understand and meet the needs of children, adolescents and older adults. This evolution reinforces UCB’s commitment to elevate the lives of people with severe diseases and their families across a broad range of populations.

Co-creating community centered approaches to Parkinsonʼs treatment

Certain communities with individuals living with Parkinson's disease are underrepresented in clinical research. To address these gaps, UCB partnered with 14 community leaders, patients, caregivers and trial experts across the U.S. and U.K. to reimagine what equitable trial design can look like.

Launched in early 2025, the Parkinson’s Health Equity in R&D Community Leaders Board provides strategic guidance to improve representation of underserved populations in Parkinson’s clinical trials.

Together, we co-developed six community informed solutions focused on two priorities:

We now have the ability to create trials that truly reflect real-world patient experiences because each solution includes actionable plans for inclusive recruitment and stronger retention.

This approach is laying the foundation for research that improves evidence, strengthens equity and delivers better outcomes for people living with Parkinson’s, while shaping a model for inclusivity across UCB’s broader portfolio.

Improving epilepsy care through community-based collaboration

In the U.S., adults with epilepsy are twice as likely to experience depression, and many face significant challenges accessing specialist care, navigating insurance barriers and managing the emotional and social impacts of their condition. In partnership with the Morehouse School of Medicine (Morehouse SOM), we are strengthening care pathways and connecting patients more effectively to the support they need.

Based in the state of Georgia, the project uses a Community Health Worker (CHW) model, built to address both the medical and non-medical factors that shape health outcomes. CHWs are trusted, locally grounded members of the community who help patients overcome barriers. By integrating CHWs with primary care, neurology, behavioral health and social services, the program establishes a coordinated, sustainable approach to epilepsy care.

Early success in connecting patients with much needed care has already inspired plans to expand the model to additional U.S. states.

Broadening access to epilepsy treatment in Rwanda

Nearly 80% of people with epilepsy live in low- and middle-income countries, where treatment gaps can exceed 75% due to limited healthcare infrastructure, unequal resources, a lack of access and awareness as well as stigmatization and other factors. This can be seen in Rwanda where people living with epilepsy face several barriers to care, such as underdiagnosis, stigma and a shortage of trained healthcare professionals.

Rwanda is the first Sub-Saharan country to make UCB epilepsy medicine accessible. Levetiracetam is now available and reimbursed for all people living with epilepsy in Rwanda. This is a vital first step for us in a region we have not commercially operated in before. The insights and experience we are getting will help us continue to improve access and build partnerships across the region.

You can watch a film about stigma and barriers that people living with epilepsy often face in Rwanda, as well as the work that is being done to improve access,

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Delivering better outcomes for people living with hidradenitis suppurativa

HS is one of the most painful, misunderstood and often untreated chronic inflammatory diseases. For many, it brings years of diagnostic delay, unpredictable flares and a significant emotional burden. In 2025, we deepened our commitment to transforming the future of HS treatment through a framework laid out in our UCB Vision Report 2025.

At UCB, we imagine an HS-free world. And we’re taking steps to make it a reality. Our approach is built around three core pillars:

Listening, co-creating and advancing science in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, unpredictable autoimmune condition that affects multiple organs. An estimated 90% of people living with lupus are women, with individuals of African, Hispanic, Asian and Native American descent facing a greater risk of early onset and more severe disease.

While lupus affects organs, mobility and long-term health, many people living with the disease also experience deep fatigue. This symptom often goes unaddressed because healthcare professionals have no effective treatment to offer their patients.

Pairing rigorous science with deep patient engagement UCB worked with leading patient organizations from the U.S. and Europe to understand how we can better support SLE patients dealing with severe fatigue.

This collaboration produced FATIGUE-PRO, the first lupus specific tool designed to meaningfully capture the unique lived experience of lupus fatigue. Developed with patients and refined through close patient–expert collaboration, FATIGUE-PRO reflects dimensions of fatigue that generic scales do not cover – such as the mental, cognitive and physical fatigue, central to the patient experience of living with lupus.

A differentiated, evidence-driven opportunity Dapirolizumab pegol (DZP) is a novel Fc-free anti-CD40L therapy that targets a central pathway in lupus pathogenesis. Results from the Phase 3 PHOENYCS GO study showed that DZP delivered statistically significant reduction in disease activity and enabled patients to reduce glucocorticoid doses. These outcomes matter to patients not only for long-term organ protection – beyond stabilizing disease activity across multiple domains and outcome measures, DZP also improved fatigue. This unique observation has been reinforced through UCB’s patient advisory boards and discussions with lupus advocates.

Camp Small Steps: Creating a support infrastructure for Dravet Syndrome families

For families living with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), daily life is shaped by the need for safety, sensory awareness and routine. It can be hard to provide children with experiences that other families may take for granted, such as everyday outdoor activities.

In 2025, UCB U.S. partnered with the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF) to build Camp Small Steps. Every detail of this first-of-its-kind, sensory-safe, fully accessible camp experience was shaped by insights from people living with Dravet Syndrome (DS) and caregivers. In 2025, the pilot program delivered five camp events, helping over 448 members of the DS community to create new family memories without fear or limitation.

The response from the community has been extraordinary, with 96% of caregivers surveyed saying they would attend again. Attendees have shared their experiences widely within DSF’s private Facebook group of 3 500 members, helping spread awareness through authentic word of mouth. This shows how many families could benefit from projects like Camp Small Steps, and we are proud to be part of the growing support infrastructure for families living with DEEs.

Celebrating five years of the ground-breaking Rare Disease Connect in Neurology (RDCN) program

A global, expert-led, peer-driven forum, RDCN continues to deliver world-class education rooted in robust adult learning principles.

RDCN was conceived in 2021 to improve evidence-based practice and patient  outcomes in myasthenia gravis (MG). RDCN cultivates a global community of neuromuscular specialists, nurses, pharmacists, patient organizations and the broader multidisciplinary team, to transform knowledge and care in MG.

The meeting had an impressive global attendance of 36 international esteemed faculty and Steering Committee members, 144 MG specialists from 25 countries, 17 nurse specialists from five countries and 21 patient organization representatives from 16 countries. A defining feature of RDCN is its dedicated patient organization track, which ensures that people living with MG, caregivers and organizations representing rare disease communities can collaborate with both healthcare professionals and patient organizations participating in both the HCP and PO track.

The program continues to deliver on its stated ambition by meeting its pre-defined outcomes of success, with the program rated as "world-class" based on likelihood to recommend and >80% of participants strongly agreeing that they will apply the knowledge from the meeting to their clinical practice. RDCN has also won several industry awards for its educational program and design. In 2025, RDCN won a Silver Effie Europe Award in the newly created Health Effectiveness category; this recognition highlights RDCN as an impactful, evidence-driven medical education initiative that improves healthcare professional behavior, clinical practice and ultimately patient outcomes.

Professor Sarah Hoffmann, Senior Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin