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The US PDPN Disease Awareness Campaign 2021
The week of 12 May is National Neuropathy Awareness Week in the US. To mark this occasion, the team at Averitas Pharma – a subsidiary of GRT US Holding, Inc. and member of the Grünenthal Group – received advice from the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy (FPN) to conduct a patient-focused survey. It aims to raise awareness about the significant unmet medical needs of patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN), or diabetic nerve pain, and to advocate for disease awareness and education.
“We are determined to raise awareness and help patients with PDPN receive effective treatment.”
“PDPN has a significant impact on the day-to-day lives of millions of individuals in the US, and we will focus our efforts to raise awareness and educate, so we can help patients have better outcomes.”
PDPN is a progressive and debilitating complication of diabetes. The disease can impose a serious daily physical, emotional and psychological burden. Patients with persistent diabetic nerve pain face a major negative impact on their quality of life. The condition is expected to affect more than 5 million Americans in 2021, with this figure predicted to double by 2030.1-5 However, while the number of affected patients is growing, treatment of PDPN remains a challenge. About 39 percent of patients remain untreated and more than 50 percent of patients have unresolved pain. The effectiveness of many available first-line treatment options is often limited due to the potential for drug-drug interactions and tolerability issues that prevent the use of an optimal dose. This can leave patients dissatisfied with unresolved pain.1,6
Averitas, with advice from the FPN, carried out the recent survey between 5 - 12 March 2021, completing 506 online interviews. Respondents were aged 18 years or older, and were all diabetes patients who have been diagnosed with PDPN for at least one year, and all have been receiving a prescribed treatment from a physician for at least six months. You can find the most striking results and statements displayed in a selection of infographics:
In addition to this survey, employees at Averitas are conducting a range of activities, including a second satellite media tour (SMT) to distribute the results during National Neuropathy Awareness Week in the US and at key congresses. This will involve radio and TV interviews, as well as the launch of educational materials including an unbranded patient-focused website, and physician facilitated disease awareness tools. Medical Affairs is also submitting survey results to key scientific forums for posters, abstracts, and live presentations. Overall, we aim to spark a conversation about PDPN and create a sense of urgency among patients – to encourage them to have more direct conversations about neuropathic pain with their healthcare professionals and to seek consultation with a specialist to discuss appropriate treatment options. In this way, we will put patients in a stronger position to advocate on their own behalf, while also helping to streamline each patient’s path to accurate diagnosis and effective disease management.
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html