TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Dec. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi US
(EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) are collaborating with
nationally-recognized patient and professional heart disease
organizations to launch Cholesterol Counts, an awareness
program that will gauge how much Americans know about cholesterol,
their numbers, and the risks associated with high LDL-C (bad
cholesterol). American adults are encouraged to visit
www.CholesterolCounts.com to take a brief poll and answer a
few key questions about their health. The results of the poll
will provide a snapshot of cholesterol awareness levels across the
country and be revealed in 2015.
"Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S., and
our organization works with patients who have experienced serious
health consequences that are often related to high bad cholesterol,
such as heart attack and stroke," said Michele Packard-Milam, CAE, Executive Director
of Mended Hearts. "It's important for people to talk to their
doctors and educate themselves about the consequences of high bad
cholesterol. The Cholesterol Counts program is a great
way for people to gauge how much they know about their own
cholesterol and to learn more about this serious condition."
Sanofi US and Regeneron are teaming up with Foundation of the
National Lipid Association (FNLA), Mended Hearts and Preventive
Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) on the Cholesterol
Counts program. These groups share a mission to bring
attention to high cholesterol and specifically high LDL-C (bad
cholesterol), which can lead to buildup of cholesterol plaque in
arteries and lead to heart attacks and
strokes.1
Despite available treatment options and efforts to promote
healthy lifestyle and diets, the statistics around high cholesterol
and its impact remain staggering. Of the approximately 71
million U.S. adults with high LDL-C (bad cholesterol), less than
half are currently being treated with lipid-lowering
therapy.3 Cholesterol levels remain high for many
Americans.2
"It is concerning that millions of Americans with high LDL-C
(bad cholesterol) are untreated,"3 said Ralph M. Vicari, MD, Vice President of FNLA.
"The Cholesterol Counts program will help us identify
the gaps in identification and treatment of high cholesterol.
Hopefully, this will result in better treatment and awareness
in our country."
Many patients may not be aware of the effects untreated high
LDL-C (bad cholesterol) can have on their health, such as heart
disease.2 Cholesterol Counts aims to rally
Americans to take an active role in understanding what can be done
to control high LDL-C (bad cholesterol).
Sanofi US and Regeneron are committed to enhancing the care of
cardiovascular patients, and their collaboration is focused on
helping to address the unmet needs of cardiovascular health.
With the assistance of patient and professional
organizations, the companies hope to provide resources to patients
to help them better understand and take control of their heart
health, and Cholesterol Counts is an important part of their
efforts.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global and diversified
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, rare
diseases, consumer healthcare, emerging markets and animal health
and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed
in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE:
SNY).
Sanofi is the holding company of a consolidated group of
subsidiaries and operates in the United States as Sanofi
US. For more information on Sanofi US, please
visit http://www.sanofi.us or call 1-800-981-2491.
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,
colorectal cancer, 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.
About Foundation of the National Lipid Association
(FNLA)
The Foundation of the National Lipid Association
supports and conducts educational programs, research programs, and
vital community outreach programs for both patients and clinicians
in effort to reduce cardiovascular events and deaths related to
disorders of dyslipidemia and cholesterol metabolism. The
FNLA develops and publishes patient information and programs to
help inform the public about the importance of a patient's risk for
developing heart disease or stroke. The Foundation of the
NLA's website www.learnyourlipids.com is organized as a place for
patients to understand the importance of knowing and managing your
cholesterol levels including LDL cholesterol and other targets of
therapy such as HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. You can
also follow us on Twitter @LearnYourLipids.
About Mended Hearts
Mended Hearts is a national,
community-based, heart patient support network founded in 1951.
With more than 20,000 members operating through 300 chapters,
Mended Hearts is the largest cardiovascular patient support group
in the world. Recognized for its role in facilitating a
positive patient-care experience, Mended Hearts partners with over
450 hospitals and cardiac rehabilitation clinics offering heart
patient support through visiting programs, group meetings and
educational forums. Mended Hearts' mission is "Inspiring hope
and improving the quality of life for heart patients and their
families through ongoing peer-to-peer support." For more
information or to locate a chapter, visit www.mendedhearts.org,
call 888- HEART-99 or email at info@mendedhearts.org.
About Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
(PCNA)
PCNA has established itself as the premier
organization of nursing professionals dedicated to the prevention
of cardiac and other vascular diseases throughout the lifespan.
PCNA's mission includes developing and promoting nurses as
leaders in this field and supporting comprehensive risk reduction
strategies for individuals and populations. PCNA takes pride
in supporting leadership, advocacy, lifelong learning and
empowerment of the nursing community. To learn more about
PCNA and their continuing education, free nursing tools, Annual
Symposium and more, visit PCNA.net or join them on
facebook.com/heartnurses or twitter @heartnurses.
Sanofi Contacts:
Media
Relations
Carrie
Brown
Tel:
908-981-6486
Carrie.Brown@sanofi.com
|
|
Regeneron Contacts:
Media
Relations
Arleen
Goldenberg
Tel:
914-847-3456
Arleen.Goldenberg@regeneron.com
|
|
References
1 National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute. "What is Cholesterol?" September 2012.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbc/#.
Accessed July 2014.
2 American 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 August 2014.
3 Go, AS, Mozaffarian, D, Roger, VL et al. "Heart
Disease and Stroke Statistics--2014 Update: A Report From the
American Heart Association." Circulation. 2014;129:e28-e292.
https://circ.ahajournals.org/content/129/3/e28.full.pdf+html.
Accessed November 2014.
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SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.