Alkermes Announces Former Professional Baseball Player, CC Sabathia, as Spokesperson for Alcohol Dependence Awareness Campaign

DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkermes, Inc., a subsidiary of Alkermes plc (Nasdaq: ALKS), today announced former professional baseball player and World Series champion, CC Sabathia, as a spokesperson for the company's My Relationship with Alcohol campaign, which is designed to help raise awareness about the disease of alcohol dependence and encourage people who are rethinking their relationship with alcohol to reach out to their healthcare provider. The My Relationship with Alcohol website aims to help decrease the stigma surrounding alcohol dependence by providing disease state education resources, personal stories, an interactive questionnaire to help people assess their drinking patterns, a discussion guide that offers ideas on how to start a conversation with a healthcare provider about alcohol dependence and information about treating the disease.

CC Sabathia has been outspoken about his own alcohol dependence recovery journey in an effort to inspire others who may be struggling with the disease to seek help. "I battled with my drinking for years before making the decision to seek professional help, so I'm looking forward to being part of this campaign to help people rethink their relationship with alcohol," said CC Sabathia. "By sharing my own story and information about the disease as part of this campaign, I hope to help encourage people who are questioning their own drinking patterns to learn more about alcohol dependence and talk to a healthcare provider. One of the hardest parts of starting a recovery journey is taking that first step."

As part of the My Relationship with Alcohol campaign, Sabathia will share his story about how he made the decision to change his relationship with alcohol and some of his experiences in his alcohol dependence recovery journey. "I want people to understand that they are not alone," said Sabathia. "Alcohol dependence isn't anything to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. It is not a personal failing, it's a disease, and resources are available for people as they explore their own recovery journey."

"CC's openness about his recovery journey and his desire to help others living with alcohol dependence provide an important platform to help raise awareness of, and educate people about, the disease," said Richard Pops, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Alkermes. "This campaign is launching as the country has begun to emerge from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic and at a time when people may be re-evaluating their drinking patterns. We share CC's commitment to providing support and information to people who may be questioning their relationship with alcohol and are pleased to be working with him on this important disease awareness campaign."

About My Relationship with Alcohol
Myrelationshipwithalcohol.com offers educational information about alcohol dependence, an interactive questionnaire based on questions developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)¹ designed to assess personal drinking patterns, and a discussion guide to help start conversations with healthcare providers about the disease and treating alcohol dependence. The website also features personal stories of individuals sharing insights on how their relationship with alcohol needed to change, and their ongoing recovery journeys, after being diagnosed with alcohol dependence by a healthcare provider.

About Alcohol Dependence
Alcohol dependence is a chronic disease in which a person craves drinks that contain alcohol and is unable to control their drinking. A person with this disease also needs to drink greater amounts to get the same effect and has withdrawal symptoms after stopping alcohol use. Alcohol dependence affects physical and mental health, and can cause problems with family, friends and work.² 

About Alkermes
Alkermes plc is a fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines in the fields of neuroscience and oncology. The company has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products focused on addiction, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of product candidates in development for neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes' website at www.alkermes.com. 

¹ National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparison Between DSM-IV and DSM-5. Accessed on June 18, 2021 from: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-use-disorder-comparison-between-dsm

² National Cancer Institute at National Institutes of Health. Alcohol Dependence. Accessed on June 18, 2021 from:  https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/alcohol-dependence           

Alkermes Contacts:
For Investors: Sandy Coombs, +1 781 609 6377
For Media: Marisa Borgasano, +1 781 609 6659

SOURCE Alkermes plc