MAIDENHEAD, England,
May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
HAE
Day:-) takes place on 16 May
2013 and aims to raise awareness of Hereditary Angioedema
(HAE)
ViroPharma Incorporated (NASDAQ: VPHM), today announced its
support of the second annual international Hereditary Angioedema
Day.
HAE Day:-) is coordinated by the
HAEi, the International Patient Organization for C1 Inhibitor
Deficiency, along with the support of its National Member
Organizations and encourages patient organisations from across the
globe to organise awareness-raising activities around the theme
'Many faces, one family'. The day aims to
raise awareness of HAE among the general public and medical
community in order to create an environment with earlier and more
accurate diagnosis, improved care and knowledge that HAE patients
can lead a normal life.
HAE is a rare, debilitating and potentially life-threatening
genetic disorder affecting about 10,000 people across Europe.[1] People living with the
condition suffer from recurrent and disabling attacks of swelling
that can affect the larynx, abdomen, face, extremities and
urogenital tract.
"HAE is a complicated disease that can take many years to
diagnose. HAE Day is an exciting event which raises awareness of
the condition and helps to ensure patients are diagnosed and
treated quickly," said Kristina
Broadbelt, Director, Global Advocacy, ViroPharma. "At
ViroPharma, we have been working with the HAE community for nearly
five years. We are delighted to support this year's HAE Day and we
are proud of the difference that we may be able to make in
patients' lives."
To learn more about HAE Day events happening in your local area,
please visit http://www.haeday.org
ViroPharma provides treatments for patients living with rare
diseases including hereditary angioedema, adrenal insufficiency,
prolonged, acute, convulsive seizures in children, and
Clostridium difficile infection.
As part of its commitment to improving the lives of patients
with HAE in Europe, ViroPharma
sponsors and funds the Hereditary Angioedema Burden of Illness
Study in Europe (HAE-BOIS-Europe),
an innovative, patient-centric, multi-country study of the
humanistic and economic burden of HAE to address and improve
current knowledge gaps surrounding the condition.
ViroPharma Incorporated is based in Exton, Pennsylvania, US, and also has offices
in Canada and in eight European
countries including Belgium,
France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ViroPharma is continuing to
grow its footprint and presence in Europe, and to support this growth,
ViroPharma's wholly-owned European subsidiary was set up in 2007,
leveraging in Europe the company's
expertise in the development and commercialisation of biotechnology
products, and in business development.
About Hereditary
Angioedema (HAE)
HAE is a rare, severely debilitating, life-threatening genetic
disorder caused by a deficiency of C1 inhibitor, a human plasma
protein. This condition is the result of a defect in the gene
controlling the synthesis of C1 inhibitor. C1 inhibitor maintains
the natural regulation of the contact, complement, and fibrinolytic
systems, and when left unregulated, can initiate or perpetuate an
attack by consuming the already low levels of endogenous C1
inhibitor in HAE patients. Patients with C1 inhibitor deficiency
experience recurrent, unpredictable, debilitating, and potentially
life threatening attacks of inflammation affecting the larynx,
abdomen, face, extremities and urogenital tract. Patients with HAE
experience approximately 20 to 100 days of incapacitation per year.
There are estimated to be at least 10,000 people in Europe with HAE, with up to 1,850 cases in the
UK.[1]
For more information on HAE, please visit the HAEi's
(International Patient Organization for C1 Inhibitor Deficiencies)
website
at http://www.haei.org/
About ViroPharma
Incorporated
ViroPharma Incorporated is an international biopharmaceutical
company committed to developing and commercialising novel solutions
for physician specialists to address unmet medical needs of
patients living with diseases that have few, if any, clinical
therapeutic options, including C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency,
treatment of seizures in children and adolescents, adrenal
insufficiency, and Clostridium difficile
infection (CDI). Our goal is to provide rewarding careers to
employees, to create new standards of care in the way serious
diseases are treated, and to build international partnerships with
the patients, advocates, and healthcare professionals we serve.
Forward Looking
Statements
Certain statements in this press release contain forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties.
Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or
forecasts of future events, including our ability to continue to
deliver solutions that address critical gaps in care for patients
living with few, if any, clinical treatment options. There can be
no assurance that we will be successful in our efforts to make a
difference to patients' lives. These factors, and other factors,
including, but not limited to those described in our annual report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2012 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission for the periods ended
March 31, 2013, could cause future
results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in
this press release. The forward-looking statements contained in
this press release are made as of the date hereof and may become
outdated over time. ViroPharma does not assume any responsibility
for updating any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements should not be relied upon as representing our
assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press
release
References;
1. Agostoni A, Aygoren-Pursun E,
Binkley KE, et al. Hereditary and acquired angioedema: problems and
progress: proceedings of the third C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency
workshop and beyond. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;114(3
Suppl):S51-131.. Last accessed on February
6, 2012.