Fundacion ADANA, HyperSupers TDAH France and TDAH Irapuato recognised for outstanding work supporting people affected by ADHD
Zug, Switzerland – October 27, 2016 – To coincide with ADHD Awareness Month, Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) today announced the winners of the 2016 Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards. The awards celebrate outstanding work by patient advocacy organisations around the world that aim to improve the lives of people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
On behalf of Shire, an international panel of judges awarded unrestricted grants of €10,000 to the following patient groups in recognition of the impact of their innovative work during 2015:
• Early Therapy Group, an innovative project for the treatment of pre-school age children with ADHD – Fundacion ADANA (Spain)
• ADHD and School – HyperSupers TDAH France (France)
• Establishment of a foundation for children, teenagers and adults diagnosed with ADHD – TDAH Irapuato (Mexico)
“This year, we received an unprecedented amount of first-class entries and were extremely impressed by the innovative approaches patient advocacy groups are taking to further understanding and tackle misconceptions around ADHD.” said Tom Croce, Head of Global Patient Advocacy at Shire. “We are proud that the awarded grants will help the three winners to continue to provide the much needed support to the ADHD community.”
Developed, funded and organised by Shire, the Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards are part of the company’s patient-centric approach that provides support to people living with ADHD and their caregivers.
“Young children living with ADHD often suffer from stigmatisation and isolation from their peers and teachers. It is essential that they benefit from interventions at an early age and their teachers and parents receive behavioral coaching,” said Bea Mena Pujol, Director of Fundacion ADANA. “This grant will allow us to continue to support these children and help them achieve success at school.”
“The award recognises the creation of the www.tdahecole.fr website which is the result of collaboration from volunteers and healthcare professionals committed to improving the education of children with ADHD,” said Christine Gétin, Chair of HyperSupers TDAH France. “We are more motivated than ever to continue our work with children who have this challenging disorder.”
“The support we will receive will be very useful for helping children, teenagers and adults in Mexico with ADHD, especially in the Irapuato community,” said Araceli Almanza Lamas, Chair of TDAH Irapuato. “We are now in the position to provide personalised care and education to people with ADHD, which will help them reach their full potential.”
The esteemed judging panel included the following representatives from patient and mental health organisations: Aagje Ieven, European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI); Ann Little, European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA); Frédéric Destrebecq, European Brain Council and Kawaldip Sehmi, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations.
About ADHD
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents1-3 and is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).4 Worldwide prevalence of ADHD is estimated to be between 5.29% and 7.1%, and just under 5% in Europe for children and adolescents (<18 years).1,2 Prevalence of ADHD among adults aged 18-44 is estimated to be 3.4% (range 1.2-7.3%).5
About the Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards
The awards aimed to recognise, reward and profile the outstanding work of patient groups working in the area of ADHD; to share best practice with patient groups working in the area of ADHD across the world; and to spread positive messages about ADHD and the impact of advocacy campaigns amongst the general public, media and healthcare professionals.
Any project led by a patient group that supports people affected by ADHD was eligible for consideration for the retrospective award. Projects promoting the use of any specific medication were not considered for an award.
The awards were available to patient groups based outside of the United States of America. Only organisations were eligible; individuals could not submit a project for consideration.
All award entries were assessed against a pre-determined set of criteria by an independent judging panel. Projects were scored on a scale of 1 to 10 for each of the award criteria. The three entries with the highest total scores were declared the winners. All judges’ scores had equal weight. In cases where entrants’ scores are identical, the judges made a final decision.
About ADHD Awareness Month
ADHD Awareness month is October, when a number of events are held worldwide to raise awareness and share information on this challenging disorder. Traditionally, towards the end of ADHD Awareness Month ADHD Awareness Week has been celebrated in Europe.
Fundacion ADANA (Spain)
The Fundacion ADANA was established on 6 May 1997 and entered the Generalitat de Catalunya Register of Private Foundations under number 1102 on 25 September of the same year. ADANA’s aim is to improve the quality of life of people with ADHD. Created to inform, educate and help all affected by this disorder, it aims to develop all possible means to reduce the negative effects caused by ADHD in children, young people and adults, so that they can become happily integrated into their everyday lives. The Fundacion ADANA’s objective is to raise awareness among parents, healthcare professionals, primary and secondary teachers, schools and wider society so attitudes change and strategies for managing ADHD are learnt. The Fundacion ADANA has an Assessment Committee that monitors the functioning of the foundation, both in ethical and scientific terms. It is made up of renowned professionals who work with ADANA on a voluntary basis: Dr D J Antoni Ramos Quiroga, Dr Amaia Hervás Zúñiga and Dr Marta Garcia Giral.
www.fundacionadana.org
HyperSupers TDAH France (France)
HyperSupers TDAH France brings together families and adults affected by ADHD in France. 5900 families have joined since it was founded in 2002.
The association aims to:
• Inform and assist families and adults through the provision of 40 local branches which hold meetings.
• Provide information via booklets entitled ‘“ADHD and school”, “ADHD and self-esteem” and “ADHD”.
• Collaborate with public and private institutions to improve care, screening, treatment and research.
• Promote social and school inclusion of children, adolescents and adults with ADHD.
Here are some highlights of work undertaken in 2015:
• “SOS back to school” to respond to urgent school problems at the start of the new school year.
• Worked with the French National Health Authority (Haute Autorité de Santé) who issued recommendations on ADHD.
• Conducted a research workshop with conferences and award presentations: Ribot-Dugas Workshop 2015.
• launched a new website dedicated to the school education of children with ADHD www.tdahecole.fr.
In 2015, through various actions, HyperSupers TDAH France directly helped 15,000 families/people.
www.tdah-france.fr and www.tdahecole.fr.
TDAH Irapuato (Mexico)
TDAH Irapuato manages a closed Facebook group, that seeks to share experiences of parents whose children have been diagnosed with ADHD, in order to help them to understand the condition.
The Facebook group has existed for almost nine years and TDAH Irapuato’s activities have now grown to include:
• Orientation workshops requested by institutions for parents with children diagnosed with ADHD.
• Provision of support and follow-up with psychologists.
• Activities for children to develop their skills of attention and concentration including swimming, music lessons and literacy workshops.
TDAH Irapuato comprises of only volunteers such as psychologists, teachers and parents and has the aim of expanding its activities so that it can provide support to people living with ADHD across the area.
TDAH Irapuato also has a Google+ web page and a twitter handle.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/101922986963647888479 @tdahirapuato
About Shire
Shire is the leading global biotechnology company focused on serving people with rare diseases and other highly specialized conditions. We strive to develop best-in-class products, many of which are available in more than 100 countries, across core therapeutic areas including Hematology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Ophthalmics, Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Gastrointestinal / Internal Medicine / Endocrine and Hereditary Angioedema; and a growing franchise in Oncology.
Our employees come to work every day with a shared mission: to develop and deliver breakthrough therapies for the hundreds of millions of people in the world affected by rare diseases and other high-need conditions, and who lack effective therapies to live their lives to the fullest.
www.shire.com
