SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amylin Pharmaceuticals, LLC, today announced the launch of This Week I Will, an online pledge campaign that encourages adults with type 2 diabetes to make a difference in their own lives and in the diabetes community – one small step at a time.
This press release has an accompanying Smart Marketing Page providing further details about the organization, products and services introduced below. You can access the Smart Marketing Page via the following link: https://smp.newshq.businesswire.com/pages/week-i-will.
This Week I Will invites adults with type 2 diabetes to make a week-long pledge to commit to a specific behavior change that can improve their diabetes management. For each pledge, Amylin will make a $5 donation to one of four nonprofit partners, up to $25,000 each (a total donation of up to $100,000).
“For adults with type 2 diabetes, even an ordinary week demands extraordinary effort. The good news is that even small changes – like those encouraged in This Week I Will – can add up to better diabetes management,” said David Maggs, M.D., vice president, medical research and development, Amylin Pharmaceuticals. “This Week I Will is one of the many resources Amylin has created to support and encourage adults with type 2 diabetes.”
This Week I Will is hosted on Diabetic Connect (hyperlink: www.ThisWeekIWill.com), a social network for people with diabetes, and participants can also share their pledges on Facebook and Twitter (#thisweekiwill) to garner added support and encouragement from their personal networks.
Amylin has partnered with the following organizations that are committed to supporting the emotional, social and educational needs of people with type 2 diabetes:
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American Diabetes Association (selected local chapters)
The mission of the American Diabetes Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Participating chapters are located in Birmingham, Ala.; Chicago; Knoxville, Tenn.; Los Angeles; Louisiana; New Jersey; San Antonio; and San Diego. -
Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Behavioral Diabetes Institute is the world's first organization dedicated to addressing the unmet emotional and psychological needs of people with diabetes. -
Diabetes Hands Foundation
The mission of the Diabetes Hands Foundation is to connect, engage and empower people touched by diabetes. -
Diabetes Sisters
The mission of Diabetes Sisters is to improve the health and quality of life of women with and at risk of diabetes, and to advocate on their behalf.
Diabetes affects nearly 26 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 347 million adults worldwide.1,2 Approximately 90-95 percent of those affected have type 2 diabetes.3 In the U.S., diabetes costs more than $174 billion per year in direct and indirect medical expenses.4
In addition to This Week I Will, BYDUREON Steady Support resources are available to support the efforts of adults with type 2 diabetes. Among these resources are live phone support seven days a week, interactive tutorials online at www.BYDUREON.com and the option to schedule in-person sessions with a diabetes educator. Amylin is also launching bChange.com, a behavior change program developed with diabetes experts that provides an overview of “how to” successfully adopt healthy new habits and change the way patients manage their diabetes.
WHAT IS BYDUREON® (exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension)?
BYDUREON is the first and only once-weekly medicine to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It works by helping the body make its own insulin when needed, which may help improve glycemic control with just one dose per week. BYDUREON was approved in the U.S. in January 2012.
BYDUREON is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and should be used along with diet and exercise. BYDUREON is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes.
BYDUREON is a long-acting form of the medication in BYETTA® (exenatide) injection so both drugs should not be used together. BYDUREON is not a substitute for insulin and has not been studied in combination with insulin. BYDUREON is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis (a condition caused by very high blood sugar). BYDUREON is not recommended for use in children. It is not known if BYDUREON is safe and effective in people with a history of pancreatitis or severe kidney problems.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for BYDUREON
- POSSIBLE THYROID TUMORS, INCLUDING CANCER: In animal studies, BYDUREON caused rats to develop tumors of the thyroid gland. Some of these tumors were cancer. It is not known if BYDUREON causes thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in people. Do not take BYDUREON if you or any of your family members have MTC or if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. While taking BYDUREON, tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer.
- Do not take BYDUREON if you have had an allergic reaction to exenatide or any of the other ingredients in BYDUREON. Severe allergic reactions can happen with BYDUREON. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to BYDUREON are severe rash or itching, swelling of your face, lips, and throat that may cause difficulty breathing or swallowing, feeling faint or dizzy and very rapid heartbeat. If you have any symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, stop taking BYDUREON and call your healthcare provider right away.
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) may happen, which may be severe and lead to death. Before taking BYDUREON, tell your healthcare provider if you have had pancreatitis, stones in your gallbladder (gallstones), a history of alcoholism, or high blood triglyceride levels. Stop taking BYDUREON and call your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that is severe and will not go away, occurs with or without vomiting, or is felt going from your stomach area through to your back. These may be symptoms of pancreatitis.
- Your risk for getting low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is higher if you take BYDUREON with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea. The dose of your sulfonylurea may need to be lowered while you use BYDUREON. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include shakiness, headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, confusion, irritability, hunger, fast heart beat, sweating, and feeling jittery.
- Tell your healthcare provider if you have or had kidney problems or a kidney transplant. BYDUREON may cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, leading to loss of fluids (dehydration). Dehydration may cause kidney failure; this can happen in people who have never had kidney problems before. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that will not go away or if you cannot drink liquids.
- Tell your healthcare provider if you have severe problems with your stomach, such as delayed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems with digesting food.
- The most common side effects with BYDUREON include nausea, diarrhea, headache, vomiting, constipation, itching at injection site, a small bump (nodule) at the injection site, and indigestion. Nausea most commonly happens when first starting BYDUREON, but may become less over time.
- Before using BYDUREON, tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, as taking them with BYDUREON may affect how each medicine works. Tell your healthcare provider if you take other diabetes medicines, especially insulin or a sulfonylurea, or warfarin sodium (Coumadin® or Jantoven®).
- Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BYDUREON will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your healthcare provider first if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please click here for Medication Guide, and click here for US Full Prescribing Information for BYDUREON, including Boxed WARNING about possible thyroid tumors including thyroid cancer.
About Amylin Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Amylin Pharmaceuticals,
LLC, is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving lives of
patients through the discovery, development and commercialization of
innovative medicines. Amylin is committed to delivering novel therapies
that transform the way diabetes and related metabolic disorders are
treated. Amylin is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. and has a
commercial manufacturing facility in Ohio. More information about Amylin
Pharmaceuticals is available at www.amylin.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements about Amylin, which involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed herein due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including risks that BYETTA or BYDUREON may be affected by competition, unexpected new data, technical or safety issues, or manufacturing and supply issues; risks that our clinical trials may not start when planned, confirm previous results, achieve intended clinical end-points and/or be predictive of real world use; risks that our preclinical studies may not be predictive; risks that our product candidates, including exenatide once monthly, may not receive regulatory approval; inherent scientific, regulatory and other risks in the drug development and commercialization process. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the Company's most recently filed SEC documents, including its Form 10-Q. Amylin undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements.
BYDUREON and BYETTA are registered trademarks of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, LLC.
1 Diabetes Statistics. American Diabetes Association.
Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/.
Accessed Sept. 10, 2012.
2 Danaei G, Finucane MM, Lu Y,
et al. National, regional, and global trends in fasting plasma glucose
and diabetes prevalence since 1980: systematic analysis of health
examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 370 country-years
and 2.7 million participants. Lancet.
2011;DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60679-X.
3 Diabetes
Overview. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Available at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/overview/.
Accessed Sept. 10, 2012.
4 Direct and Indirect Costs of
Diabetes in the United States. American Diabetes Association. Available
at: http://www.diabetes.org/how-to-help/action/resources/cost-of-diabetes.html.
Accessed Sept. 10, 2012.
08-12-13736-A. 09/12. ©2012 AMYLIN PHARMACEUTICALS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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