CSL Behring Announces Locations and Host Partners for Its 9th Annual Gettin' in the Game(SM) Junior National Championship

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- CSL Behring announced today the schedule for its 9th annual Gettin' in the Game(SM) Junior National Championship (JNC) competition in golf and baseball. The JNC is a series of one-day athletic events for children with bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia or von Willebrand disease (VWD), and their families.  During the JNC young people with a bleeding disorder have the opportunity to connect with and compete against others who have these conditions. The competitions also encourage kids with bleeding disorders to be committed to physical activity that helps keep their muscles healthy and joints strong.  

This year's JNC program will include four regional championships in partnership with local National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) chapters or hemophilia treatment centers (HTC). The 2010 dates, locations and regional hosts are as follows:

• June 26 - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.

Hosted by: Hemophilia Foundation of Minnesota/Dakotas  

• September 11 - Pittsburgh, Pa.  

Hosted by: Western PA Chapter of the NHF  

• September 25 - Durham, N.C.    

Hosted by: Hemophilia of North Carolina          

• October 16 - Los Angeles, Calif.

Hosted by: Children's Hospital of Los Angeles

As part of the JNC, professional golfer Perry Parker and competitive baseball player Jesse Schrader, who both have hemophilia A, will provide coaching to the kids and their families on the fundamentals of each sport.  The athletes also offer participants guidance and advice for remaining active while managing their condition. Members of the local bleeding disorders community will also be on hand to provide education, support and information about the importance of effectively managing the condition.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to help forge genuine connections among people with bleeding disorders and other members of this community, CSL Behring offers a variety of programs including the Junior National Championship," said Garrett E. Bergman, M.D. Senior Director of Medical Affairs, U.S. Commercial Operations at CSL Behring. "Since the first JNC in 2002, CSL Behring has brought the competition to more than 30 cities and towns throughout the U.S. helping to build an even wider community of patients, families and advocates."  

For more information about the JNC or bleeding disorders, please visit www.gigjnc.com.

About Hemophilia

Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20,000 Americans have hemophilia. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins known as factor VIII or IX. The most common form of the disease is hemophilia A, or classic hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or defective factor IX.

About von Willebrand disease

Von Willebrand disease (VWD), the most common hereditary bleeding disorder is caused by a deficiency or abnormality of von Willebrand factor (VWF), a protein in the blood that is necessary for normal blood clotting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that VWD affects one to two percent or three to six million people in the U.S. alone. The five signs and symptoms of VWD include: easy bruising; frequent or prolonged nosebleeds; heavy, prolonged menstruation; prolonged bleeding following injury, childbirth or surgery; and prolonged bleeding during dental procedures.

About CSL Behring

CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry.  Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide. CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies and inherited respiratory disease.  The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in newborns.  CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma.  CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.  For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.

SOURCE CSL Behring