LISBON, Portugal--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kedrion Biopharma, an Italian company specializing in the
production and distribution of plasma-derived medicinal products, has
been strongly improving its presence in Portugal.
Kedrion has been
operating in Portugal since 2010, through its subsidiary, Kedrion
Portugal, distributing plasma-derived medicinal products mainly to
hospitals (public and private) and meeting approximately 15% of
local needs.
In Portugal, the plasma proteins market is estimated
to be worth 54 million euros.
The therapeutic areas that
Kedrion serves in Portugal are Hemophilia, Immunodeficiencies and
Critical Care.
The Company has always been committed to a strong
relationship with patient associations. Since 2015, Kedrion has been one
of the major partners of APDIP-PID, The Portuguese Association of
Primary Immunodeficiences, and one of the main supporters of the PID
Group within SPAIC (The Portuguese Society of Allergology and
Clinical Immunology).
Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PID) include more than 350 rare genetic disorders caused by an improper functioning of the body’s immune system. In Portugal, these diseases affect 0.7 in every 100,000 people.
“We have been working for the last decades to increase awareness of these rare disorders and we have been successful at least in the pediatric field,” states Laura Marques, pediatrician specialized in the treatment of Primary Immunodeficiencies at the Centro Materno-Infantil du Norte in Porto. “Pediatricians now are aware of the existence of these disorders and want to know more about them. I began to work in this field 30 years ago – explains Dr Marques - and since then the situation has improved a lot, but we have a huge work to do with adult physicians: they are not completely aware of the fact that - even though Primary Immunodeficiencies are congenital - these disorders can present in adults.”
A major impact on improving the quality of life of people facing rare diseases can be achieved by working together, as hard as possible, to meet patient needs.
This is the basis of Kedrion’s commitment to supporting IPOPI,
the International Patient Organization for Primary Immunodeficiencies,
specifically with the development of PID Genius.
PID Genius,
which is the first APP developed by PID patients for PID patients,
was launched in 2017 to provide assistance and practical support to
patients suffering from these diseases. At the ESID 2018 Conference, IPOPI
presented an updated version of this APP, which is now available in
multiple languages and offers new features.
“IPOPI is really
pleased to provide PID patients with this updated and improved version
of PID Genius,” says Martine Pergent, IPOPI Vice Chair. “With the
addition of four languages we hope to reach even more patients across
the globe and help them better manage their conditions.”
More information on Kedrion Biopharma at www.kedrion.com.