ZUG, Switzerland, August 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Online entry opens today at Shire.com/patients/patient-advocacy/patient-group-award 

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) today launches the second annual Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards celebrating outstanding work by patient advocacy organisations that aim to improve the lives of people with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Three winning patient groups will each be awarded an unrestricted grant of €10,000 to recognise their exceptional work in 2014.

"Worldwide, around one in 20 people have ADHD,^[1] which can have a profound impact on an individual's education, work, social interactions and emotional wellbeing,"^[2],[3],[4] said Tom Croce, Head of Global Patient Advocacy at Shire. "Patient groups work tirelessly to raise awareness of ADHD and support people living with the disorder and their families so, following an overwhelmingly positive response to last year's Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards, we are delighted to again be celebrating some of the outstanding contributions patient groups make to people's lives."

An international judging panel, including patient organisation representatives and mental health advocates will select three winners according to strict judging criteria. The judges are: Audrey Craven, European Federation of Neurological Associations; Kawaldip Sehmi, International Alliance of Patients' Organizations; Frédéric Destrebecq, European Brain Council and Pedro Montellano, Global Alliance of Mental Health Advocacy Networks-Europe (GAMIAN-Europe).

Juan Ángel Quirós Cantos, President of the Federation of Andalusian ADHD Supporting Organisations (FAHYDA) (Spain), one of last year's three winners, said: "We are so proud that our therapeutic summer camp programme was recognised by the 2014 awards. At FAHYDA, we are passionately committed to supporting people affected by ADHD and the €10,000 prize money we received is helping us, along with our amazing volunteers, to keep delivering activities that make a real difference to the lives of people in our community. We encourage any patient organisation committed to helping people with ADHD to enter the 2015 awards and showcase their great work."

The awards are open to patient organisations based outside of the United States with not-for-profit/charitable status that put the needs and interests of people affected by ADHD at the heart of their work.

The judges are looking for creative and innovative projects that address unmet needs in ADHD and have a direct and positive impact on the lives of people affected by the disorder. Winning entries will have defined objectives, a clear strategy, measurable success markers and will use an evidence-based approach.

Entrants can visit http://www.shire.com/patients/patient-advocacy/patient-group-award to download an application pack including an application form and full guidance on the process. The closing date for entries is 28^th September 2015, and winners will be announced during European ADHD Awareness Week (19-25 October 2015).

Developed, funded and organised by Shire, the Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards are part of Shire's patient-centric approach that provides support to people living with ADHD and their caregivers.

About ADHD 

ADHD is a common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents^[1],[5] and is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).^[6] It is thought to affect around 5% of children and adolescents globally.^[1]

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Shire enables people with life-altering conditions to lead better lives.

Our strategy is to focus on developing and marketing innovative specialty medicines to meet significant unmet patient needs.

We focus on providing treatments in Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, Gastrointestinal and Internal Medicine and we are developing treatments for symptomatic conditions treated by specialist physicians in other targeted therapeutic areas, such as Ophthalmics.

http://www.shire.com

THE "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 

Statements included in this announcement that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties materialize, Shire's results could be materially adversely affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, that:

• Shire's products may not be a commercial success;
  
• product sales from ADDERALL XR® and INTUNIV® are subject to generic competition;
  
• the failure to obtain and maintain reimbursement, or an adequate level of reimbursement, by third-party payers in a timely manner for Shire's products may affect future revenues, financial condition and results of operations;
  
• Shire conducts its own manufacturing operations for certain of its products and is reliant on third-party contract manufacturers to manufacture other products and to provide goods and services. Some of Shire's products or ingredients are only available from a single approved source for manufacture. Any disruption to the supply chain for any of Shire's products may result in Shire being unable to continue marketing or developing a product or may result in Shire being unable to do so on a commercially viable basis for some period of time;
  
• the manufacture of Shire's products is subject to extensive oversight by various regulatory agencies. Regulatory approvals or interventions associated with changes to manufacturing sites, ingredients or manufacturing processes could lead to significant delays, an increase in operating costs, lost product sales, an interruption of research activities or the delay of new product launches;
  
• Shire has a portfolio of products in various stages of research and development. The successful development of these products is highly uncertain and requires significant expenditures and time, and there is no guarantee that these products will receive regulatory approval;
  
• the actions of certain customers could affect Shire's ability to sell or market products profitably. Fluctuations in buying or distribution patterns by such customers can adversely affect Shire's revenues, financial condition or results of operations;
  
• investigations or enforcement action by regulatory authorities or law enforcement agencies relating to Shire's activities in the highly regulated markets in which it operates may result in significant legal costs and the payment of substantial compensation or fines;
  
• adverse outcomes in legal matters and other disputes, including Shire's ability to enforce and defend patents and other intellectual property rights required for its business, could have a material adverse effect on Shire's revenues, financial condition or results of operations;
  
• Shire faces intense competition for highly qualified personnel from other companies and organizations. Shire is undergoing a corporate reorganization and was the subject of an unsuccessful acquisition proposal and the consequent uncertainty could adversely affect Shire's ability to attract and/or retain the highly skilled personnel needed for Shire to meet its strategic objectives;
  
• failure to achieve Shire's strategic objectives with respect to the acquisition of NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. may adversely affect Shire's financial condition and results of operations;
  
• and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Shire's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

References 

1. Polanczyk G, et al. The Worldwide Prevalence of ADHD: A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis. Am J Psych. 2007;164:942-948.
2. Escobar R, Soutullo CA, Hervas A, et al. Worse quality of life for children with newly diagnosed attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, compared with asthmatic and healthy children. Pediatrics. 2005;116:e364-9.
3. Sikirica V, Flood E, Dietrich CN, et al. Unmet needs associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in eight European countries as reported by caregivers and adolescents: results from qualitative research. Patient. 2014; [Epub ahead of print].
4. Arnold L, Hodgkins P, Kahle J, et al. Long-term outcomes of ADHD: academic achievement and performance. J Atten Disord. 2015;1-13.
5. Willcutt EG. The prevalence of DSM-IV attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Neurotherapeutics. 2012; 9: 490-499.
6. International Classification of Diseases, 10th ed., (ICD-10). World Health Organization 2007:Chapter 5,F90. http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en#/F90-F98. [Last accessed June 2015].

For further information please contact:
Media

Scott Santiamo

ssantiamo@shire.com

+1-484-343-2576

Date of Preparation: August 2015

Zinc Job Number: INTSP/C-ANPROM/NBU/15/0043e

SOURCE Shire plc