Thousands Join Lundbeck and the Hereditary Disease Foundation to Build Hope for Huntingtons Disease

pan>)--Today, Lundbeck announced the results of its third annual Build Hope
for HD campaign, benefitting the Casa Hogar Amor y Fe (House of Love
and Hope), a unique clinic that provides care for people affected by
Huntingtons disease (HD). Build Hope for HD, which launched on
August 1, 2012, consisted of an online awareness campaign that included
an opportunity to click, triggering a donation on BuildHopeforHD.com.
Participation from thousands in the HD community and beyond helped
spread awareness about this important cause, and resulted in Lundbeck
making a donation of $50,000 to the clinic. These funds will allow the
clinic to continue to provide treatment, food and medical care to
thousands of family members with HD who live along the shores of Lake
Maracaibo in Venezuela.
“These families are living in
extreme circumstances of poverty and duress, and the support from Build
Hope helps provide them with basic medical necessities.”
The support from Lundbeck and the HD community allow the Casa Hogar to
continue to provide treatment and care to thousands of people affected
by HD living around Lake Maracaibo, said Dr. Nancy Wexler, President of
the Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) and Higgins Professor of
Neuropsychology, Columbia University. These families are living in
extreme circumstances of poverty and duress, and the support from Build
Hope helps provide them with basic medical necessities.
Opened in 1999,1 the clinic was built in gratitude to the
families whose help was critical to researchers who identified the HD
gene in 1983 and isolated it in 1993.2,3 The clinic is now
home to over 65 people and provides care and food to many more from the
surrounding community. For more than a decade, HDF has continued to
support the costs of medicine, supplies, salaries and other expenses at
this unique clinic.
This year marks Lundbecks third year of support for the clinic, which
supports a community that has played such a pivotal role in the
scientific understanding of Huntingtons disease. In total, the Build
Hope campaigns have resulted in $220,000 in donations from Lundbeck,
and funds have been used to renovate and update the clinics facilities,
purchase new hospital equipment and assist in the general day-to-day
operations of the facility.
We are inspired by the unwavering dedication of HDF and the Casa Hogar
clinic to bring urgently needed care and support to these families
living with HD, said Staffan Schberg, president of Lundbeck in the
U.S. We look forward to continuing our support of important initiatives
that assist the HD community.
About Huntingtons Disease
Huntingtons disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease
characterized by a triad of progressive motor, cognitive and emotional
symptoms.4 These symptoms vary from person to person. The
survival time after the onset of symptoms can range from 10 to 30 years5
and currently there is no cure.5 The HD gene, whose mutation
results in the disease, was localized in 1983 and isolated in 1993.2,3
About the Hereditary Disease Foundation
The Hereditary Disease Foundation aims to cure Huntingtons disease by
supporting research aimed at developing new treatments and cures. HDF
was started by Dr. Milton Wexler in 1968 when his wife was diagnosed
with Huntingtons disease. The Foundation uses a variety of strategies
workshops, grants, fellowships, and targeted research contracts to
solve the mysteries of genetic disease and develop new treatments and
cures. HDF initiated the International-Venezuela Huntingtons Disease
Collaborative Research Project and played a key role in the discovery of
the HD gene, which was localized in 1983 and isolated in 1993.2,3
For more information, visit www.hdfoundation.org.
About Lundbeck in the U.S.
Lundbeck in the U.S., headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S in Denmark. Lundbeck is
committed to accelerating our work in central nervous system (CNS)
disorders such as Huntingtons disease, for which few, if any effective
treatment options are available. In 2010, Lundbeck initiated the HD
Research Initiative to identify and ultimately commercialize therapies
that may slow or halt the progression of the Huntingtons disease. This
research is driven by collaborations with academic institutions and
companies with promising compounds in development. For more information,
visit www.lundbeckus.com.
About Lundbeck
H. Lundbeck A/S (LUN.CO, LUN DC, HLUKY) is an international
pharmaceutical company committed to improving the quality of life for
people suffering from psychiatric and neurological disorders. For this
purpose, Lundbeck is engaged in the research, development, production,
marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world. The companys
products are targeted at disorders such as depression and anxiety,
schizophrenia, epilepsy, Huntingtons, Alzheimers and Parkinsons
diseases. Lundbeck was founded in 1915 by Hans Lundbeck in Copenhagen,
Denmark. Today Lundbeck employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide.
Lundbeck is one of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies working
with brain disorders. In 2011, the companys revenue was DKK 16.0
billion (approximately EUR 2.2 billion or USD 3.0 billion). For more
information, please visit www.lundbeck.com.
Sources
1. Glimm, Adele. Timeline. Gene Hunter: the Story of Neuropsychologist
Nancy Wexler. New York. Scholastic. 2005 pg 106-107.
2. Gusella J, Wexler N, Conneally PM, Naylor S, Anderson M, Tanzi R,
Watkins PC, Ottina K, Wallace M, Sakguchi A, Young AB, Shoulson I,
Bonilla E, Martin JB. A polymorphic DNA marker genetically linked to
Huntingtons disease. Nature 1983; 306:234-238.
3. Huntingtons Disease Collaborative Research Group. A novel gene
containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on
Huntingtons disease chromosomes. Cell 1993; 72:971-983.
4. Marshall FJ, Clinical Features and Treatment of Huntingtons Disease.
Movement Disorders 2004; 1:589-596.
5. Huntingtons Disease. Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/huntingtons-disease/DS00401/METHOD=print.
Last accessed 11/12/12.

Information Source: Business Wire