CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi, announced today the launch of vs.MS, a global initiative focused on highlighting and addressing the sometimes debilitating symptoms that accompany MS, as well as their daily impact on people living with and affected by the disease.
This World MS Day, Sanofi Genzyme is putting a call out to the MS community to learn more about the real impact of the disease and to declare themselves vs.MS on the campaign website, www.vs-MS.com. For each vs.MS declaration, Sanofi Genzyme will make a donation to the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF).
To inform the vs.MS campaign, a global survey was fielded among more than 1,500 people living with relapsing MS (RMS) and their care partners in seven countries: Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Results from the survey reveal the physical and emotional toll that RMS patients face on a day-to-day basis. Additional survey findings are available on the vs.MS website. Some findings include:
- More than half of respondents living with RMS find that issues with memory limit their daily activities
- More than half of respondents living with RMS say their ability to process information has slowed down
- Nearly half of respondents living with RMS feel limited by depression or anxiety
- More than half of respondents living with RMS feel lonely or isolated because of their RMS
- Two-thirds of respondents living with RMS say their disease has affected their ability to keep their job
- More than one-third of respondents feel urinary problems associated with their RMS are a factor in the decisions they make when planning to leave the house
- More than half of care partner respondents do not discuss their fear of RMS progressing to avoid upsetting the person they care for
“As part of our ongoing commitment to improving the lives of people affected by this debilitating disease, we are proud to launch vs.MS,” said Carole Huntsman, Global Multiple Sclerosis Lead, Sanofi Genzyme. “The compelling findings from this survey broaden our understanding of the true cognitive and emotional toll that MS takes, and will help guide our efforts to better partner with the community to meet the overall needs of MS patients.”
To arm the MS community with the tools and resources they need to be vs.MS, the campaign website includes videos, educational modules and survey results highlighting the real burden of the disease.
To learn more about vs.MS and view the survey findings, visit www.vs-MS.com and follow along on social media via the campaign hashtag, #vsMS.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi is organized into five global business units: Diabetes and Cardiovascular, General Medicines and Emerging Markets, Sanofi Genzyme, Sanofi Pasteur and Merial.
Sanofi Genzyme focuses on developing specialty treatments for debilitating diseases that are often difficult to diagnose and treat, providing hope to patients and their families. Learn more at www.sanofigenzyme.com.
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