Aurinia Unveils Patient Navigation Grant Program to Address Access Barriers for Individuals Living with Lupus & Lupus Nephritis
10 Mai 2021 - 10:05PM
Business Wire
– Company-sponsored program seeks proposals
to help patients in the U.S. make informed health choices and
support underserved populations with these conditions –
– Submission process opens on World Lupus
Day, Monday May 10, deadline to submit proposals is June 1, 2021
–
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUPH / TSX: AUP) (Aurinia
or the Company) today, in recognition of World Lupus Day, affirmed
its commitment to increasing access to equitable healthcare for
individuals living with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus
erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) through the
sponsorship of grants to establish community-focused patient
navigator programs. LN is one of the most serious and common
complications of SLE and affects significantly more Black, Asian,
and Hispanic individuals living with SLE than non-Hispanic white
individuals with the condition. If left untreated, LN can cause
irreversible kidney damage and increases the risk of kidney
failure, cardiac events, and death.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks submissions from
U.S-focused patient advocacy organizations with a goal of
addressing healthcare disparities faced by the underserved LN
community and providing the education needed for patients to make
informed choices about their health. Grant awards will be provided
to organizations who are committed to implementing patient
navigation programs that target disadvantaged populations and those
most at risk of developing LN. As a result of the global COVID-19
pandemic, healthcare navigation programs are needed by patients now
more than ever. A recent World Lupus Federation survey found that
almost half of patients surveyed (approximately 3,000 patients)
reported decreased access to at least one aspect of lupus
healthcare during the last three months due to the pandemici.
“Patient navigation can be critical for those living with SLE
and LN. Individualized support helps to navigate the complexities
of our healthcare system. This is particularly important now more
than ever with all of the challenges, confusion, and delays in care
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Christine Lindsay, Vice
President, Professional & Advocacy Relations. “We look forward
to supporting community organizations to ensure patients are
connected with the resources needed to help effectively manage this
serious disease.”
The grant awards aim to ensure that patients are educated about
the importance of routine screenings and medical appointments; that
patient’s basic needs are met; and that patients are connected with
the resources needed to receive ongoing treatment and medical care.
Organizations are encouraged to submit applications by June 1,
2021. The full RFP can be found here.
“Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) are
conditions that are often challenging to not only diagnose but also
to treat. Disease management requires a personalized approach for
each patient, with routine urine testing and regular physician
visits to monitor disease activity,” said Sharon Dowell, M.D.,
Associate Professor of Medicine Division of Rheumatology, Howard
University College of Medicine. “These conditions may
disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities, and a health
navigator can most certainly provide valuable support to ensure
that each patient gets the care they need to achieve the best
health outcomes.”
About Lupus Nephritis LN is a serious manifestation of
SLE, a chronic and complex autoimmune disease. If poorly
controlled, LN can lead to permanent and irreversible tissue damage
within the kidney, resulting in kidney failure. Black and Asian
individuals with SLE are four times more likely to develop LN and
individuals of Hispanic ancestry are approximately twice as likely
to develop the disease when compared with Caucasian individuals.
Black and Hispanic individuals with SLE also tend to develop LN
earlier and have poorer outcomes when compared to Caucasian
individuals.
About Aurinia Aurinia is a fully integrated
biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering therapies to treat
targeted patient populations that are impacted by serious diseases
with a high unmet medical need. The company recently introduced the
first FDA-approved oral therapy dedicated for the treatment of
adult patients with active lupus nephritis (LN). Aurinia’s head
office is in Victoria, British Columbia, its U.S. commercial hub is
in Rockville, Maryland, and development efforts are focused
globally.
i 1. World Lupus Federation 2021 Survey “The Impact of the
COVID-19 Pandemic on People Living with Lupus; Accessed 4/26/2021
Hyperlink.to survey; Press Release Hyperlink
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210510005795/en/
Investors: Glenn Schulman, PharmD, MPH Investor Relations
& Corporate Communications, Aurinia
gschulman@auriniapharma.com
Corporate: Dana Lynch Corporate Communications, Aurinia
dlynch@auriniapharma.com
Media: Marin Bergman Ten Bridge Communications
marin@tenbridgecommunications.com