ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOR)
today joins people with epilepsy, advocacy organizations and healthcare
professionals in recognizing Purple
Day®. On March 26th people in countries around
the world are invited to wear purple and host events in support of
epilepsy awareness. Purple Day® was founded in 2008 by
nine-year-old
Cassidy Megan
of Nova Scotia, and launched internationally
in 2009. The Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia and the Anita Kaufmann
Foundation in the United States are the global partners for the Purple
Day campaign®. One in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy
during their lifetime.1
2014 National Walk for Epilepsy, Washington, DC, Sunday, March 22, 2014: I Walk Because(TM), part of the Acorda Community Outreach program, gives people a chance to tell their stories by decorating and personalizing t-shirts. (Photo: Business Wire)
Acorda also expressed support for the epilepsy community at the 2014
National Walk for Epilepsy in Washington, DC this past Sunday, March
22. In addition to bringing a walk team, this marked the first time
Acorda brought its I Walk Because™ booth to an epilepsy event.
I Walk Because, part of the Acorda Community Outreach program, is
how Acorda exhibits its passion and dedication to the patient
communities it serves. Staffed by employees of Acorda, the booth gives
people a chance to tell their stories by decorating and personalizing
t-shirts. The National Walk for Epilepsy, run by the Epilepsy Foundation
of America, brings together a community of people dedicated to ending
seizures and supporting people living with epilepsy.
Further highlighting Acorda’s commitment to the epilepsy community, the
Company launched Clusterseizures.com – a website dedicated to
providing information to healthcare professionals in an effort to help
them serve some of their most vulnerable patients.
Epilepsy and Cluster Seizures
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that produces seizures affecting a
variety of mental and physical functions. Seizures are symptoms of
abnormal brain activity, and occur when a brief, strong surge of
electrical activity affects part or all of the brain.
Of the approximately 2.3 million people in the United States with
epilepsy2, it is estimated that about 175,000 experience
cluster seizures. Cluster seizures, also known as acute repetitive
seizures, are characterized by recognizable, recurring episodes of
seizure clusters.
About Acorda Therapeutics
Founded in 1995, Acorda
Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing
therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with
neurological conditions.
Acorda markets three FDA-approved therapies including: AMPYRA®
(dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg, a treatment
to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS); ZANAFLEX
CAPSULES® (tizanidine hydrochloride) and Zanaflex
tablets, a short-acting drug for the management of spasticity; and
QUTENZA® (capsaicin) 8% Patch, for the management of
neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia. AMPYRA is
marketed outside the United States as FAMPYRA®
(prolonged-release fampridine tablets) by Biogen Idec under a licensing
agreement from Acorda.
Acorda has one of the leading pipelines in the industry of novel
neurological therapies. The Company is currently developing six
clinical-stage therapies and one preclinical stage therapy that address
a range of disorders including post-stroke deficits, epilepsy, cerebral
palsy, stroke, peripheral nerve damage, spinal cord injury, neuropathic
pain, and heart failure. For more information, please visit the
Company’s website at: www.acorda.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All
statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding
management's expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects should be
considered forward-looking. These statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially,
including our ability to successfully market and sell Ampyra in the
U.S.; third party payers (including governmental agencies) may not
reimburse for the use of Ampyra or our other products at acceptable
rates or at all and may impose restrictive prior authorization
requirements that limit or block prescriptions; the risk of unfavorable
results from future studies of Ampyra or from our other research and
development programs, including Plumiaz (our trade name for Diazepam
Nasal Spray), or any other acquired or in-licensed programs; we may not
be able to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, or
successfully market Diazepam Nasal Spray or other products under
development; the occurrence of adverse safety events with our products;
delays in obtaining or failure to obtain regulatory approval of or to
successfully market Fampyra outside of the U.S. and our dependence on
our collaboration partner Biogen Idec in connection therewith;
competition, including the impact of generic competition on Zanaflex
Capsules revenues; failure to protect our intellectual property, to
defend against the intellectual property claims of others or to obtain
third party intellectual property licenses needed for the
commercialization of our products; failure to comply with regulatory
requirements could result in adverse action by regulatory agencies; and
the ability to obtain additional financing to support our operations.
These and other risks are described in greater detail in Acorda
Therapeutics' filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Acorda
may not actually achieve the goals or plans described in its
forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue
reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements made in this
release are made only as of the date hereof, and Acorda disclaims any
intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a
result of developments occurring after the date of this release.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140326005236/en/
Source: Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.