LEXINGTON, Massachusetts,
February 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
- Global Initiatives Underscore Company's Long-Term Commitment
to the Rare Disease Community
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) today announced its support
of Rare Disease Day, joining patients, healthcare providers, and
patient organizations around the world to support a day that
focuses attention on rare diseases as a public health issue, and
highlights the need for more understanding and awareness about
these diseases.
Observed annually on the last day of February, Rare Disease Day
is coordinated at the international level by the European
Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS) and the National
Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) in the US. The Rare Disease
Day 2013 slogan is "Rare Disorders Without Borders" to convey the
global solidarity of the rare disease community worldwide and the
need for collaboration and mutual support in the field of rare
diseases.
According to EURORDIS and NORD there are between 6,000 and 8,000
known rare diseases affecting approximately 30 million Europeans
and 30 million Americans. As a leader in rare diseases, Shire's
Human Genetic Therapies (HGT) business focuses its work on
researching, developing, and marketing therapies for Fabry disease,
Hereditary Angioedema, Hunter syndrome, and Gaucher disease, and
has built and invested in a pipeline of innovative products and
solutions for rare diseases.
"Shire's purpose is to enable people with life-altering
conditions to lead better lives - and for us, this includes
improving access to information and diagnosis as well as providing
much-needed treatment for rare diseases," said Sylvie Grégoire,
President of HGT. "Rare Disease Day is an occasion to show our
commitment to the rare disease community. We hope that this day can
highlight the need for consistent, reliable, and effective
treatments and services for patients and give hope to those
affected by rare diseases."
Shire's Global Rare Disease Day
Initiatives
As part of its external initiatives, Shire is supporting the
R.A.R.E Project, a leading non-profit rare disease advocacy
organization, in their Global Genes Project "Wear That You
Care™" denim campaign in which denim jeans are used to
raise awareness of rare genetic disorders. The company distributed
over 3,500 blue ribbons to employees at various corporate locations
worldwide.
Shire is also supporting a variety of other initiatives
surrounding Rare Disease Day, including: EURORDIS "Black Pearl"
Gala Dinner on February
26th in Brussels; MassBio's Rare Disease Day
celebration at the State House in Boston on February
28th; the "Troisième Journée des Maladies Rares
en Suisse" in Zürich, Switzerland
on February 23rd; the
Royal Free Hospital in London in
the development of films to give insights into the patient journey
for rare conditions, Fabry disease and Gaucher disease; a special
"Supplement on Rare Diseases" in the UK's Independent newspaper;
The National Action Day for Rare Diseases organised by the
University of Cologne on
March 2nd; the launch of
"Rare Voices Australia" (RVA) in Canberra in March
2013; and the "Awareness Campaign on Rare Diseases", called
for by the Federation on Rare Diseases of Argentina (FADEPOF).
NOTES TO EDITORS
Shire enables people with
life-altering conditions to lead better lives.
Through our deep understanding of patients' needs, we develop
and provide healthcare in the areas of:
- Behavioral Health and Gastro Intestinal conditions
- Rare Diseases
- Regenerative Medicine
as well as other symptomatic conditions treated by specialist
physicians.
We aspire to imagine and lead the future of healthcare, creating
value for patients, physicians, policymakers, payors and our
shareholders.
http://www.shire.com
FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS - "SAFE
HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM
ACT OF 1995
Statements included in this announcement that are not historical
facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to
change at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties
materialize, Shire's results could be materially adversely
affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to, that:
- Shire's products may not be a commercial success;
- revenues from ADDERALL XR are subject to generic erosion;
- the failure to obtain and maintain reimbursement, or an
adequate level of reimbursement, by third-party payors in a timely
manner for Shire's products may impact future revenues and
earnings;
- Shire relies on a single source for manufacture of certain of
its products and a disruption to the supply chain for those
products may result in Shire being unable to continue marketing or
developing a product or may result in Shire being unable to do so
on a commercially viable basis;
- Shire uses third party manufacturers to manufacture many of its
products and is reliant upon third party contractors for certain
goods and services, and any inability of these third party
manufacturers to manufacture products, or any failure of these
third party contractors to provide these goods and services, in
each case in accordance with its respective contractual
obligations, could adversely affect Shire's ability to manage its
manufacturing processes or to operate its business;
- the development, approval and manufacturing of Shire's products
is subject to extensive oversight by various regulatory agencies
and regulatory approvals or interventions associated with changes
to manufacturing sites, ingredients or manufacturing processes
could lead to significant delays, increase in operating costs, lost
product sales, an interruption of research activities or the delay
of new product launches;
- the actions of certain customers could affect Shire's ability
to sell or market products profitably and fluctuations in buying or
distribution patterns by such customers could adversely impact
Shire's revenues, financial conditions or results of
operations;
- investigations or enforcement action by regulatory authorities
or law enforcement agencies relating to Shire's activities in the
highly regulated markets in which it operates may result in the
distraction of senior management, significant legal costs and the
payment of substantial compensation or fines;
- adverse outcomes in legal matters and other disputes, including
Shire's ability to obtain, maintain, enforce and defend patents and
other intellectual property rights required for its business, could
have a material adverse effect on Shire's revenues, financial
condition or results of operations;
and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in
Shire's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.
For further information please
contact:
Jessica Mann
jmann@shire.com
+44-(0)1256-894-280
Jessica Cotrone
jcotrone@shire.com
+1-781-482-9538
Nicole Barraud
nbarraud@shire.com
+41-22-419-40-56