Opioid-Induced Bowel Dysfunction

Launching in December for Constipation Awareness Month, Initiatives Include Partnerships with Well-Known Lifestyle and Health Care Practitioner Influencers Campaign Coincides with Salix's Continued Support of Advocacy Groups Building Innovative Patient Education Programs and Advancing Disease State Research in 2023 LAVAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / December 1, 2022 / Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. ("Salix"), the gastroenterology business of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE:BHC)(TSX:BHC) ("Bausch Health"), today announced the launch of a series of social media and digital initiatives to raise awareness during Constipation Awareness Month in December. The initiatives will discuss constipation diseases, including opioid-induced constipation (OIC), irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). It is estimated that approximately up to 80% of patients receiving opioid medications for chronic pain experience OIC,1 30 million adults have CIC,2,3 and 3.4 million have IBS-C.2,3 The initiatives launching this month culminate a year in which Salix invested in a multipronged educational campaign that included the publication of digital content reaching more than 240 million consumers with valuable information about the symptoms of OIC, IBS-C, and CIC and treatment options they can discuss with their health care providers. Constipation Awareness Month initiatives included partnerships with Johanna Grange, a lifestyle influencer who is sharing her perspectives about living with IBS-C with her 73,000 Instagram followers and in her blog, and Ethan Melillo, a pharmacist with more than 189,000 TikTok followers, who over the past year has been working with Salix to share a series of informative videos on TikTok discussing OIC and treatment options. "As an industry leader in the gastroenterology space, Salix is continually identifying innovative ways to connect with the patient communities we serve," said Nicola Kayel, vice president, Gastroenterology Marketing, Salix. "In 2022, in addition to continuing to work with social media influencers lending their voice to raise awareness of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, Salix became the first organization to partner with the creators of the PLOP app, a new and creative bowel movement tracker digital solution that monitors and analyzes daily symptoms. The collaboration, which raises awareness about the connection between opioid pain medications and constipation, supports valuable conversations between patients and health care providers that may help lead to improved regularity in bowel movements." To further support patients with chronic GI disorders in 2023, Salix will extend its partnerships with prestigious patient advocacy groups to advance public awareness and education for patients and health care providers. Salix will continue its collaboration with the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD), the U.S. Pain Foundation, the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA), and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Through its 2023 medical grant contributions program, Salix will continue to work with organizations such as the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) to advance research that will improve understanding of GI conditions. Salix will continue to host patient resources at UnderstandingOIC.com and ConfrontConstipation.com which also offer information about treatment options to be discussed with health care providers. About Salix Salix Pharmaceuticals is one of the largest specialty pharmaceutical companies in the world committed to the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. For more than 30 years, Salix has licensed, developed and marketed innovative products to improve patients' lives and arm health care providers with life-changing solutions for many chronic and debilitating conditions. Salix currently markets its product line to U.S. health care providers through an expanded sales force that focuses on gastroenterology, hepatology, pain specialists and primary care. Salix is headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey. For more information about Salix, visit and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Bausch Health Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) is a global diversified pharmaceutical company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. We develop, manufacture and market a range of products primarily in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, dermatology, international pharmaceuticals and eye health, through our controlling ownership interest in Bausch + Lomb. With our leading durable brands, we are delivering on our commitments as we build an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health. For more information, visit and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Forward-looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements about the future performance of Bausch Health including the proposed plan to fully separate its eye health business, including the timing thereof, which may generally be identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "hopes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "should," "could," "would," "may," "believes," "subject to" and variations or similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of management and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Actual results are subject to other risks and uncertainties that relate more broadly to Bausch Health's overall business, including those more fully described in Bausch Health's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and detailed from time to time in Bausch Health's other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian Securities Administrators, which factors are incorporated herein by reference. ### ©2022 Salix Pharmaceuticals or its affiliates. SAL.0120.USA.22 1 Bell TJ, Panchal SJ, Miaskowski C, Bolge SC, Milanova T, Williamson R. The prevalence, severity, and impact of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction: results of a US and European Patient Survey (PROBE 1). Pain Med. 2009;10(1):35-42. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2008.00495.x 2 Sperber AD, Bangdiwala SI, Drossman DA, et al. Worldwide Prevalence and Burden of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Results of Rome Foundation Global Study. Gastroenterology. 2021;160(1):99-114.e3. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.04.014 3 Bureau USC. National Demographic Analysis Tables: 2020. Census.gov. . Published March 10, 2022. Accessed November 22, 2022. Investor Contact: Christina Cheng ir@bauschhealth.com (514) 856-3855 (877) 281-6642 (toll free) Media Contact: Kevin Wiggins corporate.communications@bauschhealth.com (908) 541-3785 Gianna Scalera salixcommunications@bauschhealth.com (908) 541-2110 SOURCE: Salix Pharmaceuticals View source version on accesswire.com: