Community-driven collaboration aims to raise awareness of the value PAOs offer patients and their caregivers

NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas is proud to announce that it is coordinating Patient Advocacy Organization (PAO) Action Week™ — a community-driven collaboration comprised of more than 50 healthcare, patient advocacy and other organizations across the U.S. The first-ever PAO Action Week will take place June 10 through June 14 to raise awareness of the invaluable support and resources PAOs offer for patients and caregivers. 

In the U.S., there are more than 1,200 PAOs that provide a wide array of capabilities, such as disease education resources, support groups, advocating for access to treatments, locating clinical trials, lobbying for research funding and more. However, nearly 75% of patients and caregivers have not engaged with a PAO because they did not know of or have time to look for a group relevant to them or their loved one's health condition.¹ 

Anthony Yanni, Senior Vice President and Head of Patient Centricity at Astellas
"PAOs can help people through some of the most difficult aspects of living with a health condition – from providing educational resources after diagnosis, to increasing disease awareness, to connecting to a community of others with similar experiences. Through PAO Action Week, we hope to inspire patients and their caregivers to find a PAO that can support them on their unique health journey."

Through the PAO Action Week website (paoactionweek.com), patients, caregivers and the general community can access videos to learn how to locate and engage with a relevant PAO. For more information on PAO Action Week, visit the website and follow the hashtag #PAOActionWeek on social media.

"Patients and their loved ones are at the heart of everything we do, and by collaborating with healthcare organizations, PAOs and life sciences professionals, we are able to help connect them to vital information, advocacy and community," continued Yanni.

About Patient Advocacy Organization (PAO) Action Week
PAO Action Week is a community campaign supported by PAOs, life sciences companies, healthcare organizations and professional associations and medical societies. The focus of PAO Action Week is raising awareness of the value and importance of patient advocacy organizations and encouraging patients and caregivers to engage with a PAO that is meaningful to them. The program was developed by Astellas Pharma Inc. who has coordinated this first-of-its-kind campaign. PAO Action Week is scheduled for June 10-14, 2024, in the United States. For more information about the campaign, please visit www.paoactionweek.com.

About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+^® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/us.

References

1. The Role of Patient Advocacy Groups. Rare Patient Voice. Accessed May 10, 2024. https://rarepatientvoice.com/the-role-of-patient-advocacy-groups/

SOURCE ASTELLAS PHARMA INC.