Astellas Named National Presenting Sponsor of the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk

NEW YORK, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) announced today, during National Donate Life Month, that Astellas Pharma US, Inc. was named the first-ever National Presenting Sponsor for the Kidney Walk. Through this partnership, Astellas will support more than 85 Kidney Walk events being held in major cities across the country.

"Our partnership with NKF exemplifies what Astellas and these walks are all about – enabling patients to be their own advocates and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle pre- and post-transplantation," said Jim Robinson, President, Astellas Pharma US, Inc. "We are proud to work with NKF to raise awareness about the transplant journey and provide patients with a supportive community."

The Kidney Walk is the country's largest walk to fight kidney disease. The nationwide series of community events call attention to kidney disease, risk factors and the need for organ donation. More than 100,000 walkers, 6,000 teams and 300,000 donors raise more than $8 million dollars annually to support the NKF's awareness, prevention and treatment programs.

"The Kidney Walk is not only a fundraiser, but a platform to generate awareness and drive prevention and organ donation in major cities and communities throughout the U.S.," said Krystn Kuckelman, the National Walk Program Director. "Astellas' support will help us reach millions with these life-saving messages."

One in three American adults — 73 million — is at risk due to high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney failure. Nearly 100,000 Americans currently await a life-saving kidney transplant and 14 will die each day while waiting.

Kidney and Transplant Facts:

• One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people.
• Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years or more.
• Nearly 2,500 new patients are added to the kidney transplant waiting list each month.
• More than 26 million people in the U.S. already have kidney disease and most don't know it.
• More than 430,000 people in the United States depend on dialysis treatment to survive.

The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals, millions of patients and their families, and tens of millions of Americans at risk. For more information, visit www.kidney.org.

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., located in Northbrook, Illinois, is a U.S. affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information about Astellas, please visit www.astellas.us.

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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation