Middle East Health speaks to Marzena Kulis, Managing Director, J&J MedTech Middle East about the company and their work in the region.
Middle East Health: J&J is a large global corporate. How does J&J MedTech fit into the overall corporate structure?
Marzena Kulis: Johnson & Johnson MedTech encompasses both medical devices and medical technology. For more than a century, we have applied our diverse healthcare expertise in medical devices and advanced technology to make healthcare solutions smarter, less invasive, and more personalized.
Our portfolio includes a broad range of medical devices and MedTech products used in many areas including orthopaedics, surgery, vision, and interventional solutions for cardiovascular and neurovascular fields. These products are distributed to wholesalers, hospitals, and retailers, and used principally by physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals in hospitals and clinics.
We employ technology encompassing digital connectivity, artificial intelligence, data analysis, telehealth, robotics and more to expand access, enable more holistic care, and improve outcomes for patients.
Middle East Health: How long has J&J MedTech been active in the Middle East?
Marzena Kulis: We have been operating in the Middle East region for more than 40 years. We work with 49 partners in 16 countries across the region. J&J MedTech is committed to building and developing healthcare in the Middle East – striving to reach more patients in more places and restore more lives in the region.
Middle East Health: Where are its regional headquarters?
Marzena Kulis: We are based in Dubai Healthcare City in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we have presence across the region and offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Egypt.
Middle East Health: What are J&J MedTech’s key products that are available in the Middle East?
Marzena Kulis: We have unparalleled breadth, depth and reach in surgery, orthopaedics, neurovascular, cardiovascular and specialty solutions designed to provide treatment for a range of medical conditions.
Ethicon is our largest business unit. It has helped establish bariatric surgery as the standard of care for patients with severe obesity. We are also leading the way in cancer and minimally invasive surgery.
DePuy Synthes provides one of the most comprehensive orthopaedics portfolios in the world, committed to healing and restoring movement to our patients. Our portfolio comprises products in support of hips, knees, trauma, spine, sports, and others.
Through Cerenovus, we provide neurovascular care to address haemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Meanwhile, Biosense Webster provides electrophysiology products to treat cardiovascular diseases.
Middle East Health: If we look specifically at obesity, a major health issue in the region, what is J&J MedTech doing to combat it?
Marzena Kulis: According to the World Health Organization, the Middle East region has the highest prevalences of obesity among adults globally with 27% to 40% of the population affected.
At J&J MedTech, we take a multi-disciplinary approach in the treatment of obesity with education and awareness at the core of our efforts. We want to make sure people are empowered with facts to guide them through their weight-loss journey.
We focus on shaping patient pathways beyond the product and surgical procedures. By raising awareness, we support patients to achieve the greatest potential for treatment success and enable them to continue to live their lives to the fullest.
During the World Obesity Day on 4 March 2020, we launched the “Challenge Obesity Together” campaign which reached 1 million patients on the first day alone of our online and in-person campaign in Egypt.
We are now extending our awareness efforts through social media to reach and educate wider audiences on prevalent health risks and diseases through our Challenge Obesity Together Facebook Page < https://www.facebook.com/challengeobesity >.
Middle East Health: Diabetes also has a very high prevalence in the region. Can you tell us about J&J MedTech’s role in helping people living with diabetes?
Marzena Kulis: Diabetes is a major global public health issue that is approaching epidemic proportions. According to the International Diabetes Federation, 73 million adults aged 20-79 years are living with diabetes in the region and this number is expected to reach 95 million by 2030 and 136 million by 2045. Diabetes was responsible for 796,000 deaths in the region in 2021. According to the same report, around 27 million or 38% of the adults living with diabetes are undiagnosed, and if left untreated, it can increase the likelihood of complications. Obesity, one of the main risk factors driving the diabetes epidemic, is also highly prevalent in the Gulf. Hence, there is a clear and urgent need to combat both diseases in the region.
Acknowledging the importance of cultural and environmental factors, our population is at higher risk for obesity, especially in women. These are topics where J&J MedTech is leading the discussion. This entails awareness programmes, facilitating discussions with different stakeholders involved in understanding the factors that drive the disease, as well as offering solutions through surgical and non-surgical solutions.
Middle East Health: Which other critical diseases in the region does J&J MedTech focus on?
Marzena Kulis: In addition to obesity, we focus on colorectal cancer (CRC) as one of the most serious diseases in the region. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, CRC is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It is also the second most common cancer in the UAE, Saudi, and Kuwait and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the region. At J&J MedTech, we are committed to advancing early diagnosis and treatment of CRC through patient education and advocacy efforts as we strongly believe that early detection can significantly improve patient outcomes. We also aim to normalize conversations and dispel myths and misperceptions surrounding CRC symptoms and treatments. In March 2019, we launched our Beat Colorectal Cancer campaign that is focused on driving public awareness of the disease and improve early diagnosis through free screening programmes. This includes 14 activations in seven countries which allowed us to reach 4,000 people across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain. As a continuum to screening programmes, we launched the @beatcolorectalcancer Facebook page < https://www.facebook.com/Beatcolorectalcancer > to extend our efforts on driving awareness and education to wider audiences.
J&J MedTech is an advocate for stroke awareness. Stroke is among the leading causes of death globally and presents a great burden on healthcare systems. As part of our patient awareness initiatives, we held several educational seminars in partnership with large companies across the UAE, reaching more than 400 employees who in turn took a pledge to educate their communities on the F.A.S.T. protocol to help detect symptoms of a stroke.
Another priority is raising awareness on atrial fibrillation (AFib), a medical condition causing an abnormal or irregular heart rhythm that results in uncoordinated contractions of the heart. We are working with hospitals, government health ministries, and other partners to increase public understanding of the symptoms of AFib, the importance of addressing them early on, and where patients can go to receive proper treatment. Recently, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Heart Rhythm Society to launch a public health campaign on improving heart health in the Kingdom to help detect, diagnose, and treat Atrial Fibrillation that affects approximately 1% of the total population, especially the elderly, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and the Health Sector Transformation Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Orthopaedics is also a key focus for us. We elevate the standard in trauma and orthopaedics with solutions spanning across specialties including joint reconstruction, trauma, spinal surgery, and sports medicine. Osteoarthritis is a condition that effects quality of life especially the elderly population in our region. This condition causes pain in the joints, often seen more in the hips and knees and can dramatically reduce mobility. This year, we have launched an online hub dedicated to providing resources to educate patients and caretakers, supporting them to enjoy a good quality of life.
Middle East Health: Is J&J MedTech collaborating with local physicians? If so, what is the company doing in this regard?
Marzena Kulis: We are committed to building upon offering our expertise and specialized capabilities through the J&J Institute (JJI) and the innovative professional education (Prof-Ed) umbrella to educate clinical and administrative healthcare professionals (HCPs). Through JJI and Prof-Ed programmes, J&J offers an education ecosystem of digital education programmes, a set of partnerships with international medical societies and academic institutions, and a network of professional education facilities that delivers best-in-class continuous medical education across multiple specialties, spanning surgical oncology, cardiology, electrophysiology, obesity, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis. Our aim is to provide innovative and comprehensive education focused on supporting HCPs’ professional growth in the Middle East, improving treatment outcomes for some of the region’s most prevalent diseases, and addressing future healthcare demands. All of these efforts are in the interest of rendering healthcare systems more efficient and increasing the outcomes for patients.
Middle East Health: Looking ahead, are there any new products that J&J MedTech is planning to bring to market in the Middle East?
Marzena Kulis: At J&J MedTech, we envision a future where medical interventions reduce variability in surgeries and deliver improved outcomes for patients by being smarter, less invasive, and more personalized. We are committed to delivering a differentiated value proposition in digital surgery. Our innovation is being designed to be powered by a smart, connected, digital ecosystem which brings the collective value of robotic-assisted surgery, advanced instrumentation, enhanced visualisation, data analytics and connectivity to uphold our commitment – to elevate the standard of care, expand patient access, and improve outcomes.
Middle East Health: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Marzena Kulis: We have recently updated our brand from J&J Medical Devices to J&J MedTech which aptly defines our existence at the intersection of medical devices and medical technology and reflects our identity as an industry-leading innovator working to tap the full potential of technology to save, sustain, and improve lives. At Johnson & Johnson MedTech, it’s our goal to empower every human to live their best life possible.
