Dyax Corp. : Reaffirms Commitment to Supporting Patients with Hereditary Angioedema on Inaugural HAE Day
05/16/2012| 08:10am US/Eastern
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$25,000 donated to the United States Hereditary Angioedema
Association from Multiple Fundraising Initiatives
As awareness activities take place today across the globe in recognition
of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) Day -- Dyax
Corp. (NASDAQ: DYAX) has announced a donation of $25,000 to the
United States Hereditary Angioedema Association (HAEA) - the largest HAE
patient group in the world. This donation is one of several activities
undertaken by the company in honor of HAE Day, including efforts aimed
at educating healthcare providers, engaging patients, and leveraging the
passion of Dyax employees to support the HAE patient community. Dyax is
the manufacturer of KALBITOR® (ecallantide) for the treatment
of acute attacks of HAE in patients 16 years of age and older.
"Dyax employees gather at their Burlington, MA corporate headquarters to take part in the "Cover the World with Smiles" campaign. The initiative asks those from around the world to take a picture of their 'smile', the primary symbol of Hereditary Angioedema Awareness Day, to demonstrate that people everywhere are banding together to raise awareness of the condition." (Photo: Business Wire)
"On the first ever HAE awareness day, Dyax is proud to bring attention
to the individual journeys of the thousands of people living with HAE
worldwide," said Gustav Christensen, President and CEO of Dyax. "The
activities leading up to this day represent a common goal among
patients, healthcare providers, advocacy groups and industry - to
support a healthy and full life for those living with this frequently
overlooked condition."
HAE is a potentially life threatening condition in which patients have a
defect in the gene that controls a blood protein called C1 inhibitor.
Though the most common types of HAE are diagnosed through a simple blood
test, the disease is frequently undetected because it is so rare and
symptoms are similar to many other more common conditions.
"We greatly appreciate Dyax's commitment and sponsorship of a wide
variety of activities that supported the first-ever HAE Day," said Janet
Long, Executive Vice President, United States Hereditary Angioedema
Association.
The efforts to mark the first-ever HAE Day are part of Dyax's
long-standing dedication to providing outstanding services and
support to those living with HAE. In addition to a broad range of
financial assistance and insurance programs, Dyax offers KALBITOR Home
Infusion ServicesSM to treat acute attacks in patients' homes
by providing experienced infusion nurses that are available 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. Dyax also recently announced a program offering
free genetic counseling to HAE patients and their families and released
HAE Attack TrackerTM, a free iPhone application available for
download on iTunes.
To demonstrate its support for HAE Day, Dyax launched several
initiatives to engage with the HAE community while raising funds for the
HAEA organization:
-
Dyax kicked off its HAE Day campaign at the American Academy of
Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL, where
the company raised nearly $18,000 at a booth dedicated to increasing
awareness of HAE among attending medical professionals.
-
Fundraising momentum continued with a patient survey hosted on www.HAEhope.com,
Dyax's unbranded patient support website. For each completed survey,
Dyax pledged $25 to the HAEA.
-
Dyax employees gathered at the company's corporate headquarters in
Burlington, MA to create a "human smile" photo for HAEi's "Cover the
World in Smiles" campaign, and many pledged a portion of their
paychecks to benefit the HAEA, which was matched 100% by Dyax.
-
The Company also supported public awareness efforts in five cities
across the country to help increase understanding of HAE on a local
level.
-
Additionally, Dyax will sponsor two HAE patient advocates to attend
the 2012 HAE Global Conference, taking place May 17-20 in Copenhagen,
Denmark. These advocates will attend scientific sessions and interact
with clinicians, academicians and their fellow patients, sharing the
conference experience with those in the HAE community who could not
attend through photos, video and other firsthand accounts.
HAE Day has been initiated by the HAEi, the International Patient
Organization for C1 Inhibitor Deficiency, along with the support of its
National Member Organizations. This historic day aims to raise awareness
of HAE among the general public and medical community, in order to
promote better care and earlier, more accurate diagnosis. For more
information about the HAEi, please visit www.haei.org.
About HAE
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare acute inflammatory condition
characterized by episodes of severe, often painful swelling affecting
the extremities, gastrointestinal tract, genitalia, and larynx. HAE is
caused by low or dysfunctional levels of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH),
a naturally occurring molecule that inhibits plasma kallikrein, a key
mediator of inflammation, and other serine proteases in the blood. HAE
is estimated to affect 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 individuals. Learn
more at www.HAEHope.com.
About the HAEA
Founded and staffed by HAE patients and caregivers, the US Hereditary
Angioedema Association, Inc. (US HAEA) is a 4500 member, non-profit
patient advocacy organization dedicated to serving persons with
hereditary swelling conditions caused by C1 Inhibitor Deficiency and
other undetermined causes. The US HAEA's fundamental goal is to improve
the lives of HAE patients and their families by providing a support
network and a wide range of services including: individualized patient
support, physician referrals, authoritative and readily accessible
disease-related information, and clinical research aimed at finding a
cure. For more information about the HAEA, please visit www.haea.org.
About KALBITOR® (ecallantide)
KALBITOR is a plasma kallikrein inhibitor indicated for the treatment of
acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients 16 years of age
and older. KALBITOR, which was discovered and developed by Dyax, was the
first subcutaneous treatment available in the U.S. for treating acute
HAE attacks.
Important KALBITOR Safety Information
Anaphylaxis has been reported after administration of KALBITOR. Because
of the risk of anaphylaxis, KALBITOR should only be administered by a
healthcare professional with appropriate medical support to manage
anaphylaxis and hereditary angioedema. Healthcare professionals should
be aware of the similarity of symptoms between hypersensitivity
reactions and hereditary angioedema and patients should be monitored
closely. KALBITOR should not be administered to patients with known
clinical hypersensitivity to KALBITOR.
For more information about KALBITOR, including full prescribing
information, visit: www.KALBITOR.com.
About Dyax
Dyax is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on the
development and commercialization of novel biotherapeutics for unmet
medical needs. The Company's lead product, ecallantide, has been
approved under the brand name KALBITOR® in the United States for the
treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients 16
years of age and older.
Dyax is commercializing KALBITOR in the United States independently, and
establishing strategic collaborations to develop and commercialize
ecallantide for the treatment of HAE in key regions worldwide.
Currently, Dyax has collaboration agreements for regions including
Europe, Japan, Russia, the Middle East, North Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, Latin America (excluding Mexico) and the Caribbean. The company
is also exploring other potential indications for ecallantide, either
alone or through collaborations, including drug-induced angioedema.
Ecallantide and other compounds in Dyax's pipeline were identified using
its patented phage display technology, which rapidly selects compounds
that bind with high affinity and specificity to therapeutic targets.
Dyax leverages this technology broadly through the Licensing and Funded
Research Program (LFRP). Collectively, LFRP agreements generate
significant revenue for Dyax in the form of license fees, milestone
payments and/or royalties. The success of the Company's LFRP is
illustrated by the program's advanced licensee pipeline that includes 18
candidates in clinical development. Of those candidates, four are in
Phase 3 clinical trials, four are in Phase 2 and ten are in Phase 1.
Dyax is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. For online
information about Dyax Corp., please visit www.dyax.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50279731&lang=en
Dyax Corp.
George Migausky, 617-250-5733
Executive Vice
President and
Chief Financial Officer
gmigausky@dyax.com
or
Jennifer
Harsey, 617-250-5741
Manager, Investor Relations and
Corporate
Communications
jharsey@dyax.com
© Business Wire 2012
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