EURORDIS awards Celgene Corporation for excellence in medical innovation in rare diseases

EURORDIS (The European Organisation for Rare Diseases) announced today that Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) has been awarded the prestigious EURORDIS Company Award for excellence in the field of rare diseases. The award, presented just in advance of Rare Diseases Day, February 28, recognises Celgene’s established track record in the area of orphan diseases, with multiple orphan designations and approved disease-altering therapies addressing patient needs and a robust pipeline of innovative compounds under development. The award also acknowledges Celgene’s efforts to engage in quality dialogue and partnership with EURORDIS and patient groups in relevant disease areas.

The EURORDIS Awards recognise outstanding patients’ advocacy groups, volunteers, scientists, companies, media, and policy makers who have contributed to reducing the impact of rare diseases on people’s lives. The winners of the awards are selected from more than 100 nominations received from EURORDIS members including rare disease patient advocacy groups across Europe, volunteers and staff.

With 17 orphan drug designations* and four approved orphan drug indications granted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Celgene holds a leading position among companies developing therapies for rare diseases1. The Celgene pipeline currently includes active clinical trial programs in 45 rare conditions, with Celgene investing 31% of its annual revenues into ongoing research and development efforts. As part of these efforts, there is a clear commitment from the company to continue extensive research in the area of rare diseases, which is the foundation on which the company was built.

“We are honored to receive the EURORDIS Company Award for our work in rare diseases, which is a testament to the strong partnerships we have throughout Europe with the people focused on treatment options for some of the most difficult-to-study and difficult-to-treat conditions,” said Stefano Portolano, M.D., Vice President, Hematology Europe at Celgene, who accepted the award on behalf of Celgene. “In the nearly 13 years since the Orphan Drug Regulation was enacted, there has been growing recognition of the need for treatments for rare diseases that help patients live longer and higher quality lives. Celgene is proud to be recognized for its contributions in this area, along with the important work by groups like EURORDIS.”

A recent demonstration of Celgene’s ongoing efforts to drive clinical advances and provide new therapeutic options for patients with rare diseases was the announcement on 8 February 2013 of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of pomalidomide for patients with multiple myeloma, who received at least two prior therapies including lenalidomide and bortezomib and have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy. Pomalidomide is currently under review by the European regulatory authority, the European Medicines Authority (EMA).

Yann Le Cam, Chief Executive Officer, EURORDIS, commented; “We are honoured to acknowledge the commitment and achievements of this year’s recipients of the EURORDIS Awards on the occasion of Rare Disease Day 2013. Each of this year’s ten awardees contributes in their own unique way toward fostering the goals of cooperation embodied in this year’s Rare Disease Day slogan: ‘Rare Disorders without Borders’. We are proud that the rare disease community is becoming a model for multi-stakeholder partnership and international collaboration as well as for solidarity and unity throughout Europe.”

Orphan diseases are rare and often debilitating conditions, defined in the European Union as affecting no more than five per 10,000 people. There are between 5,000 and 8,000 different rare diseases affecting an estimated 29 million people in the EU.

* Special regulatory status, granted to a product developed to treat rare diseases

References:

1. Community Register of Orphan Medicinal Products for Human Use; accessed 22 October 2012