ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOR) today announced the launch of The Many Faces of OFF? Facebook Feed, a new skill for the Amazon Alexa, as part of the company’s activities in recognition of Parkinson’s Awareness Month. The skill allows users to ask Amazon Alexa to include the most recent Acorda post from The Many Faces of OFF Facebook page as part of their flash news briefing.
Amazon Alexa is Amazon’s cloud-based voice service. For this skill, users interact with Alexa by asking, “Alexa, what’s in the news?” Alexa will then include the most recent Acorda post from The Many Faces of OFF Facebook page during the news briefing.
The Many Faces of OFF is an online community to share stories that highlight the impact of OFF periods, or the re-emergence of Parkinson’s symptoms. Since its launch in September 2016, the community has amassed more than 37,500 fans who log on to hear stories, see artwork and share information on the impact of OFF periods.
“Technology continues to drive the way people with Parkinson’s search for and use information,” said Michael Russo, Executive Director, Corporate Digital Strategy & Innovation. “At Acorda, we are always looking for opportunities to provide more information and assistance to the patient communities we serve and are excited to add The Many Faces of OFF Facebook feed to the Alexa skills library to keep those impacted by Parkinson’s up to date on the latest content.”
The Many Faces of OFF is a service mark of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.
About Parkinson’s Awareness Month
April was officially declared Parkinson’s Awareness Month by the U.S. Congress in 2009. In addition, 2017 marks 200 years since Parkinson’s was recognized as a health condition and advocacy organizations and the global community have come together to #UniteforParkinsons to raise awareness. For more information, visit www.WorldParkinsonsDay.com.
About Parkinson’s Disease and OFF Periods
Approximately one million people in the U.S. and 1.2 million Europeans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; OFF periods are experienced by approximately 350,000 in the U.S. and 420,000 in Europe.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting from the gradual loss of certain neurons responsible for producing dopamine. It causes a range of symptoms including impaired movement, muscle stiffness and tremors. As Parkinson’s progresses, people with Parkinson’s experience OFF periods, which are characterized by the re-emergence of Parkinson’s symptoms. This re-emergence can occur even when an individual’s treatment regimen has been optimized.
OFF periods can be very disruptive to the lives of people with Parkinson’s, their families and caregivers. OFF periods can increase in frequency and severity during the course of the disease.
About Acorda Therapeutics
Founded in 1995, Acorda Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. Acorda has a pipeline of novel neurological therapies addressing a range of disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, migraine and multiple sclerosis. Acorda markets three FDA-approved therapies, including AMPYRA® (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: www.acorda.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements. 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: the ability to realize the benefits anticipated from the Biotie and Civitas transactions, among other reasons because acquired development programs are generally subject to all the risks inherent in the drug development process and our knowledge of the risks specifically relevant to acquired programs generally improves over time; the ability to successfully integrate Biotie’s operations and Civitas’ operations, respectively, into our operations; we may need to raise additional funds to finance our expanded operations and may not be able to do so on acceptable terms; our ability to successfully market and sell Ampyra (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg in the U.S., which will likely be materially adversely affected by the recently announced court decision in our litigation against filers of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (each, an “ANDA”) to market generic versions of 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 INBRIJA (CVT-301, levodopa inhalation powder), or any other acquired or in-licensed programs; we may not be able to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully market INBRIJA, any other products under development, or the products that we acquired with the Biotie transaction; the occurrence of adverse safety events with our products; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of or to successfully market Fampyra outside of the U.S. and our dependence on our collaborator Biogen in connection therewith; competition; 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; and failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in adverse action by regulatory agencies.
These and other risks are described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We may not actually achieve the goals or plans described in our forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.
Laura Finley DiBenedetto, 914-326-5427
ldibenedetto@acorda.com
