Prestigious ‘Best of the American Academy of Dermatology’ event comes to Saudi Arabia for the first time to highlight the latest breakthroughs in dermatology

AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, sponsored the first-ever ‘Best of the American Academy of Dermatology’ event in Saudi Arabia to provide over 120 dermatologists from across the Kingdom the latest insights into skin conditions.

The landmark event, which was in partnership with the Saudi Society of Dermatology, featured content by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and offered the latest on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dermatologic diseases. This is the first time the prestigious AAD has been represented physically in the Kingdom and featured two of its most prominent speakers: Dr. David Pariser, Professor in the Department of Dermatology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Dr. Laura Ferris, Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Pittsburgh.

The purpose of the event was to provide a stage for renowned clinicians and specialists to share and discuss various new issues and developments in dermatology, mainly psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa and atopic dermatitis.

The focus of the symposium was on psoriasis, a debilitating skin condition that has a huge impact on patients’ quality of life in Saudi Arabia. Psoriasis is a disease with few associated comorbidities, including psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, hypertension, diabetes and central obesity. The global prevalence of psoriasis is around 2-3% and in Saudi Arabia there are almost 500,000 patients, with one third of them being moderate to severe cases.

Commenting on the event in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Issam Hamadah, Chairman, Department of Dermatology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, said: “Having AAD in Saudi Arabia for the first time is a landmark occasion for dermatologists in Saudi Arabia. We were able to discuss and share knowledge with AAD on dermatology topics. One of the major topics we discussed was about the evolution of psoriasis treatment. Thanks to the evolution of psoriasis treatment, there have been gigantic steps taken in terms of patient care and now 90% of patients with psoriasis can live with almost normal skin.”

Dr. Afaf Al-Sheikh, Consultant and Head of Dermatology at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, added: “The success of the ‘Best of the American Academy of Dermatology’ event will go a long way towards improving patient care for the almost half a million psoriasis patients in the Kingdom. By organizing this event, the AAD, the Saudi Society of Dermatology and AbbVie are helping to further enhance awareness for the detection and diagnosis of dermatological conditions in Saudi Arabia, and are providing the tools needed to improve clinical practices.”

“We believe that people living with psoriasis require a multi-disciplinary approach across many specialties,” said Ashraf Daoud, general manager of AbbVie Saudi Arabia. “Which is why we were determined to organize and support the ‘Best of the American Academy of Dermatology’ to help bring the expertise and knowledge of the AAD to specialists here in Saudi Arabia. The physical presence of the AAD is a historical next step in achieving better healthcare outcomes for people with psoriasis, and in doing so, we hope that this will help create a positive lasting effect for the Kingdom.”