Johnson & Johnson wants IBD patients to take control of their own dreams

Johnson & Johnson has launched its "Dual control" campaign in Asia Pacific, aiming to empower patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to manage their condition while pursuing life goals.

Central to the initiative is a patient empowerment video, "#MyDualControl: Don’t let IBD put your dreams on hold", which showcases real dialogues between patients and healthcare professionals, highlighting how shared decision-making can improve outcomes.

The three-minute clip opens with three individuals reflecting on dreams they have put on hold due to other commitments and life choices. It then focuses on a woman who has been living with ulcerative colitis (UC) for over 20 years. She talks about her wish to travel abroad, but expresses concern that her chronic condition could leave her suddenly unwell.

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The video cuts to a conversation between the woman and Kenji Watanabe, a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine for IBD at the University of Toyama. Watanabe reassures her that with the right guidance on managing her condition, she can travel without issues.

She then shares that she is considering having a child, worried that UC might complicate her plans. Watanabe responds that medical advancements, combined with proper support and open communication, can help her pursue her dreams without letting the condition hold her back.

According to the brand, IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and UC, affects around 10 million people globally, with cases rising across Asia. The condition often begins in adolescence, bringing symptoms such as diarrhea, blood in stool, and abdominal pain. These can disrupt schooling, careers, and relationships, forcing many patients to live a ‘double life’, appearing healthy while silently struggling.

Despite advances in IBD treatments, fewer than 40% of patients were familiar with “mucosal healing” or endoscopic remission, which measures the absence of active disease in a colonoscopy. Patients often equate remission with symptom relief, while physicians focus on objective test results. Endoscopic remission has been linked to better quality of life, lower surgery and hospitalisation rates, and longer-term disease control.

The campaign also provides educational resources across the region. Singaporean patients will share personal stories through media channels, while a patient empowerment video, "#MyDualControl: Don’t let IBD put your dreams on hold", highlights real HCP-patient dialogues.

In China, the "#YouSeeUC" digital programme encourages patients to engage in shared decision-making and challenges myths about remission. Japan will feature educational content guiding patients on managing their “Work-sick balance” with insights from healthcare professionals.

By promoting shared decision-making, Johnson & Johnson hopes to help patients take dual control of both their health and their aspirations, improving treatment outcomes across the region.

“Building on three decades of commitment to IBD innovation, our goal of this campaign is to bridge care and communication gaps, helping patients not just manage their disease, but reclaim the life and dreams they deserve," said Earl Dancel, vice president of commercial strategy at the Asia Pacific strategy office, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Asia Pacific.

He added, "When patients are empowered with the right information and actively participate in their care, endoscopic remission becomes more than a possibility, it turns into a meaningful path to dual control." 

In tandem, Watanabe said, "The disconnect on treatment goals highlights the need for shared decision making to help elevate IBD care. A trusted relationship and open communication between patients and clinicians are essential to bridge this knowledge gap, equip patients for discussions on treatment preferences, and help them pursue their aspirations and live fully."

The campaign follows J&J’s recent “The 3rd opinion” initiative launched across Asia Pacific for World Lung Cancer Day. Targeting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the campaign encourages patients to consider their own perspective alongside their physician’s recommendation and a second opinion.

It aims to shift how treatment decisions are made by promoting shared decision-making in a region that continues to bear a high burden of lung cancer cases globally.

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