TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., May 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Honestly
RA, a new survey of more than 1,000 people in the United States living with rheumatoid
arthritis (RA), found that even after treatment, approximately 80
percent of RA patients experience pain daily or multiple times per
week.1 Conducted by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi, Honestly RA also revealed this
pain is so significant that even after treatment, nearly two-thirds
(64 percent) say it keeps them away from daily activities and
celebrations.1
For many people with the chronic, lifelong condition of RA,
finding the right treatment can be a
challenge.2 Through Honestly RA,
Sanofi and Regeneron sought to take a very honest look at life with
RA, in hopes of better understanding patient needs when it comes to
treatment and overall support. The Honestly RA program
includes a series of shareable illustrations, designed to recognize
the emotional impact of the daily struggles, frustrations and
triumphs of living with RA. For more information on the
survey and to view and share the illustrations, visit
HonestlyRA.com.
The survey found that because treatments don't always work as
well as patients would like, people living with RA have tried an
average of more than four prescription medications in the last 5
years.1
In addition, the survey revealed a need for more support of RA
patients, particularly when it comes to the conversations they have
with their physicians about treatments. Although a majority of
respondents say that doctors are their go-to source for information
on treatment options for RA (91 percent), many people living with
RA (58 percent) delay seeing a doctor right away if their treatment
stops working.1 Those surveyed cited several reasons for
the delay, including because they think the symptoms will go away
on their own (41 percent of those who delay) or they don't want to
switch to a perceived stronger medication with potentially more
side effects (37 percent of those who delay).1
"The Honestly RA results reveal there is a clear need for more
support of RA patients – from management of the disease impact on
their life to the conversations that they have with their
physicians," said Dr. Olga Petryna,
Rheumatologist and Clinical Instructor at NYU Langone. "Many
patients are dissatisfied with their current treatment and express
frustration when a switch in treatment is needed. That's why
physicians and the broader support community need to engage those
patients who may be struggling to meet their treatment goals in an
open conversation."
Notably, people with RA also feel a lack of empathy from others
around them. Ninety percent of Honestly RA respondents said
that given RA is a largely "invisible" disease, it is frustrating
when others do not understand how much pain they are
in.1
"My pain affects almost every area of my life – work, travel,
spending time with friends and family – and it can be frustrating
when someone doesn't understand the impact," said RA patient,
blogger and advocate, Angela
Lundberg. "I know it can be difficult, but I encourage
everyone living with RA to not be afraid of speaking up, initiating
a conversation with your doctor about treatment and celebrating all
of your little achievements – no matter how small they seem, or how
hard they are for someone else to understand."
About the Survey
Honestly RA included data
from 1,004 patients aged 18 and up in the U.S. who self-reported
they were diagnosed with RA and whose treatment journey had
progressed beyond just a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug
(NSAID). The online survey was fielded between July 25 and August 8, 2016 by Edelman
Intelligence on behalf of Sanofi and Regeneron.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader,
discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused
on patients' needs. Sanofi is organized into five global business
units: Diabetes and Cardiovascular, General Medicines and Emerging
Markets, Sanofi Genzyme, Sanofi Pasteur and Consumer Healthcare.
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
that discovers, invents, develops, manufactures and commercializes
medicines for the treatment of serious medical conditions.
Regeneron commercializes medicines for eye diseases, high LDL
cholesterol, atopic dermatitis and a rare inflammatory condition
and has product candidates in development in other areas of high
unmet medical need, including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, pain,
cancer and infectious diseases. For additional information about
the company, please visit www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on
Twitter.
Sanofi Forward-Looking Statements
This
press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.
Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical
facts. These statements include projections and estimates and their
underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives,
intentions and expectations with respect to future financial
results, events, operations, services, product development and
potential, and statements regarding future performance.
Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words
"expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates",
"plans" and similar expressions. Although Sanofi's management
believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that
forward-looking information and statements are subject to various
risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and
generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual
results and developments to differ materially from those expressed
in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and
statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other
things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development,
future clinical data and analysis, including post marketing,
decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA,
regarding whether and when to approve any drug, device or
biological application that may be filed for any such product
candidates as well as their decisions regarding labelling and other
matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential
of such product candidates, the absence of guarantee that the
product candidates if approved will be commercially successful, the
future approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives,
Sanofi's ability to benefit from external growth opportunities
and/or obtain regulatory clearances, risks associated with
intellectual property and any related pending or future litigation
and the ultimate outcome of such litigation, trends in
exchange rates and prevailing interest rates, volatile economic
conditions, the impact of cost containment initiatives and
subsequent changes thereto, the average number of shares
outstanding as well as those discussed or identified in the public
filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those
listed under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements" in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F
for the year ended December 31, 2016.
Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake
any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information
or statements
Contacts
Sanofi:
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Media
Relations
Ashleigh
Koss
Tel:
908-981-8745
ashleigh.koss@sanofi.com
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Carrie Brown
Tel:
908-247-6006
Carrie.brown@sanofi.com
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Contacts
Regeneron:
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Media
Relations
Arleen
Goldenberg
Tel: 1 (914)
847-3456
Mobile: +1 (914)
260-8788
arleen.goldenberg@regeneron.com
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Investor
Relations
Manisha
Narasimhan, Ph.D.
Tel: 1 (914)
847-5126
Manisha.narasimhan@regeneron.com
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1 Honestly RA Survey Results PPT, Oct. 2016.
2 Mayo Clinic. "Rheumatoid Arthritis." Available at
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/home/ovc-20197388.
Last accessed March 2017.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-results-show-eighty-percent-of-rheumatoid-arthritis-patients-report-life-altering-pain-daily-or-multiple-times-a-week-despite-treatment-300449267.html
SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.