Kyowa Kirin North America Announces Recipients of Patient Education Grants to Address Disparities for African-American Patients with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas (CTCL)

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyowa Kirin, Inc., an affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin, TSE: 4151) a global specialty pharmaceutical company, announced the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation and the Lymphoma Research Foundation as the first recipients of grants to support the education of African-American patients about cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) and address racial disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. Studies show African American patients are more likely to present with higher stage CTCL and at an earlier age.¹ Kyowa Kirin has designed a general grant program to help identify programs that can raise awareness and encourage earlier diagnosis and treatment. The grant program continues with new funding being made available to support additional projects that can help improve outreach, diminish disparities and improve outcomes.

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With its grant, the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation is establishing an inclusion and diversity task force to develop a needs-assessment survey. Findings will be used to develop effective tactics and programs to engage and support the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community. "This funding gives us a chance to focus on African-American patients, in particular, who often go undiagnosed or diagnosed at a more advanced stage of the disease. By engaging and learning from this community, we can find innovative ways to improve communication and new approaches that connect with these patients," says Susan Thornton, Chief Executive Officer, Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation. "This would be a significant step toward empowering individuals and improving outcomes. It means a lot that Kyowa Kirin is supporting that work." 

Additionally, the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) will utilize grant funds to host a CTCL Facebook Live event in February 2021 in conjunction with World Rare Disease Day and African American History month. The event will aim to empower African American patients, family members, caregivers, and loved ones coping with a CTCL diagnosis with information on CTCL, treatment options, and clinical trials. "The Lymphoma Research Foundation sees the need for targeted educational programs to address knowledge gaps in underserved patient populations. Especially as the pandemic continues, we need to find new ways of engaging patient communities with helpful resources and information. Kyowa Kirin's support helps us to better reach and serve African American CTCL patients," says Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, LRF.

"Health disparities have grown even more pronounced during the pandemic. We feel the need to take action by finding and supporting partners who can conduct effective outreach to African American communities, with credible information," says Deborah Braccia, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Kyowa Kirin North America. "By continuing to fund this grant program, we hope to engage more organizations in our efforts to overcome barriers to CTCL diagnosis and treatment."

In a continuation of the grant program, Kyowa Kirin is seeking project proposals that can help to close gaps in awareness and understanding of CTCL among African-American communities, informing patients about prevalence and epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and care pathways. Applications for funds are due by December 10, 2020.

Kyowa Kirin encourages proposals from the following individuals or organizations who are focused on a mission related to patient education and/or healthcare improvement: Patient advocacy organizations or non-profit foundations; organizations dedicated to African-American empowerment and/or healthcare; public health/social work/nursing/pharmacy schools or students within these schools; healthcare institutions (both large and small); and other entities with a mission related to patient education and/or healthcare improvement.

Kyowa Kirin will make $100,000 available in funds to support these initiatives starting in 2021. Individual projects requesting up to $35,000 will be considered.

Proposals and questions should be submitted to the North America Grant Review Committee mailbox at [email protected] by December 10, 2020.

Please see our detailed Request for Grant Proposal attached and at this link: https://kkna.kyowakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/AA-CTCL-Disparities-Planned-Grant-RFP.pdf  

About Kyowa Kirin
Kyowa Kirin commits to innovative drug discovery driven by state-of-the-art technologies. Kyowa Kirin focuses on creating new value in four therapeutic areas: nephrology, oncology, immunology/allergy and neurology. Under the Kyowa Kirin brand, the employees from 40 group companies across North America, Europe and Asia/Oceania unite to champion the interests of patients and their caregivers in discovering solutions wherever there are unmet medical needs. Since 2018, the company has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for three first-in-class medicines. You can learn more about the business of Kyowa Kirin at kkna.kyowakirin.com

SOURCE Kyowa Kirin, Inc.

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