LEXINGTON, Mass., February 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
- For Every
'Count', Shire
Will Donate to Leading
Rare Disease
Organizations
- Campaign Honoring Rare Disease Day
Open to All at
http://www.shire.com/RareCount
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) today announced the launch of
'Rare Count' in honor of Rare Disease Day and
the 350 million people worldwide living with rare diseases, which
equates to nearly one in 20 global citizens. It is estimated that
50% of rare diseases begin in childhood. The campaign, open for all
to participate at http://www.shire.com/RareCount, highlights the
under-recognized prevalence of rare diseases.
The Rare Count campaign applies the 'one in 20' rare disease
statistic to calculate the potential number of contacts in a user's
social network who could be living with a rare disease. The
shareable result represents the user's 'Rare Count' and underscores
the potential personal impact of rare diseases. Anyone can go to
http://www.shire.com/RareCount to calculate and share their
individualized Rare Count through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
For every person who participates, Shire will contribute
$1, up to $10,000 to each of the following umbrella patient
advocacy groups focused on rare diseases: National Organization for
Rare Disorders, Global Genes and EURORDIS (Rare Diseases
Europe).
"At Shire, we believe that every patient counts, no matter how
rare the condition; and we are focused on championing for people
living with rare diseases to ensure their distinct unmet needs are
met," said Philip J. Vickers, Ph.D.,
Global Head of Research and Development at Shire. "Correct
and timely diagnoses remain key challenges in the rare disease
community. Our commitment extends beyond our innovative drug
pipeline to our unwavering efforts to increase rare disease
awareness with the goal of improving the diagnosis pathway for rare
disease patients."
Today, there are about 7,000 known rare diseases. While each
rare disease community is small, the overall prevalence of rare
diseases may be higher than the public recognizes. Since low
awareness can contribute to the ongoing challenges facing people
living with rare diseases, public education is critical. Shire is
timing the Rare Count campaign to coincide with Rare Disease Day,
an annual awareness day focused on educating the public about rare
diseases and their associated challenges.
In addition to the Rare Count campaign, Shire employees at sites
around the world are honoring people living with rare diseases by
leading or participating in awareness-raising activities.
About 'Rare Count'
Shire's Rare Count campaign underscores Shire's commitment to
raising awareness of rare diseases. The campaign uses a social
media calculator to apply the 'one in 20' rare disease statistic to
a user's personal network, thereby estimating the potential number
of contacts in their network who could be living with a rare
disease. The calculator and results can be shared via Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn. The landing page also includes options to
customize results by country. The personalized, shareable result
represents the user's 'Rare Count'. Visit
http://www.shire.com/RareCount to calculate and share your
individual Rare Count.
About Rare Disease Day
Rare Disease Day is an annual awareness day dedicated to
educating the public about rare diseases and their associated
challenges. It takes place every year on the last day of February
(February 28 or February 29 in a leap
year)-the rarest date on the calendar-to underscore the
nature of rare diseases and what patients face. Rare Disease Day
was established in Europe in 2008
by EURORDIS, the organization representing rare disease patients in
Europe, and is now observed in
more than 80 nations. Rare Disease Day is sponsored in the U.S. by
the National Organization for Rare Disorders
(NORD)®.
For more information about Rare Disease Day in the U.S., go to
http://www.rarediseaseday.us.
For information about global activities for Rare Disease Day, go
to http://www.rarediseaseday.org.
About Shire
Shire is the leading global biotechnology company focused on
serving people with rare diseases and other highly specialized
conditions. We strive to develop best-in-class products, many of
which are available in more than 100 countries, across core
therapeutic areas including Hematology, Immunology, Neuroscience,
Ophthalmics, Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Gastrointestinal /
Internal Medicine / Endocrine and Hereditary Angioedema; and a
growing franchise in Oncology.
Our employees come to work every day with a shared mission: to
develop and deliver breakthrough therapies for the hundreds of
millions of people in the world affected by rare diseases and other
high-need conditions, and who lack effective therapies to live
their lives to the fullest.
http://www.shire.com
For further information please contact:
Investor Relations
Ian Karp
ikarp@shire.com
+1-781-482-9018
Robert Coates
rcoates@shire.com
+44-1256-894874
Media
Gwen Fisher
gfisher@shire.com
+1-781-482-9649
Debbi Ford
debbi.ford@shire.com
+1-617-949-9083
SOURCE Shire plc