BRIDGEWATER, N.J. and
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Managing
cholesterol is a private, emotional fight against a condition that
cannot be seen or felt.1 Now, a new film highlights
individuals around the world who are connected by one common goal:
speaking up to help take down cholesterol. Sanofi and Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. engaged Academy Award® winning
documentarian Cynthia Wade to direct
Heart Felt, a film that encourages conversations between
patients and their healthcare providers about high LDL cholesterol
(LDL-C, or bad cholesterol). Starting today, you can watch Heart
Felt on www.TakeDownCholesterol.com.
"I have always been creatively inspired by the power of human
emotions, and directing this film allowed me to reveal the very
real, personal stories behind the fight against high bad
cholesterol," says Wade. "Cholesterol is one of those words that
comes up in health conversations, but how many people really
understand why it matters? I wanted to help others see what living
with high bad cholesterol really means for patients and the
healthcare providers, family and friends who may be caring for
them."
The film chronicles 19 real-life stories of managing high LDL-C
(bad cholesterol) from the perspectives of patients, caregivers and
healthcare providers from three different continents, five
countries, and nine cities.
Eddie Sarfaty, who was diagnosed
with high bad cholesterol, is among the patients who share their
stories in the film. His family has a history of high cholesterol,
and his own diagnosis triggered emotional memories of his mother's
experience, which included a heart attack.
"When the doctor first told me what my cholesterol was, I
immediately thought back to when my mom was in the hospital 25
years ago," Sarfaty says. "My mother's a strong woman and she
usually takes everything in stride, but there was terror on her
face when she was being wheeled into surgery to have a triple
bypass. I remember thinking she could be gone in an hour.
Fortunately, she was fine. But, my diagnosis made me worry that I
might not be so lucky."
Despite the availability of current therapies, approximately 11
million Americans still face great challenges in achieving their
optimal LDL-C level.2
"High bad cholesterol is one of the risk factors for
cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, the
leading cause of death in the U.S.,"3 says Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, and the
17th Surgeon General of the United
States, who is featured in the film. "Despite its
seriousness, LDL cholesterol is not as easily understood by the
public as diabetes and hypertension, which can also cause
cardiovascular disease. Elevated LDL cholesterol requires
prevention strategies and a treatment plan."
Visit TakeDownCholesterol.com to watch Heart Felt
and:
- Learn more about types of cholesterol, causes and effects of
high bad cholesterol, and how to manage it
- Find links to resources from health organizations
- Sign up for My Plan, a
personalized program that provides articles, videos and tools to
help individuals set goals and take steps toward better health
About Sanofi
Sanofi, an integrated global healthcare
leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions
focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field
of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions,
human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging
markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in
Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in
New York (NYSE: SNY).
About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Regeneron
(NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading science-based biopharmaceutical company
based in Tarrytown, New York that
discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes
medicines for the treatment of serious medical conditions.
Regeneron commercializes medicines for eye diseases, and a rare
inflammatory condition and has product candidates in development in
other areas of high unmet medical need, including
hypercholesterolemia, oncology, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and
atopic dermatitis. For additional information about the company,
please visit www.regeneron.com.
Sanofi Media
Contact:
Carrie Brown
Tel: 908-981-6486
Carrie.Brown@sanofi.com
Regeneron Media
Contact:
Arleen Goldenberg
Tel: 914-260-8788
Arleen.Goldenberg@regeneron.com
_____________________
|
1Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. "Cholesterol". March 2015.
http://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/. Accessed June 2015.
|
2Estimate
based on MarketScan LabRX data, American Heart Association
statistics, and Sanofi and Regeneron estimates.
|
3American
Heart Association. "Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol."
April 2014.
|
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Prevention-and-Treatment-of-High-Cholesterol_UCM_001215_Article.jsp.
Accessed June 2015.
|
US.ALI.15.06.026
PCS-0831
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-film-documents-heart-felt-stories-of-people-living-with-high-ldl-cholesterol-300106464.html
SOURCE Sanofi