SK Life Science Celebrates Purple Day Highlighting Partnerships and Tools Designed to Empower People Living with Epilepsy in Their Journey to Achieve Zero Seizures

PARAMUS, N.J., March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SK Life Science, Inc., a U.S. pharmaceutical company in pursuit of developing treatments that will change the future of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, is celebrating Purple Day, an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide, by launching a campaign to increase the visibility of helpful tools and resources designed to empower people living with epilepsy with mentorship programs and educational resources to support their journey to achieve zero seizures. 

"SK Life Science is celebrating Purple Day activities for the seventh consecutive year," said Matt Linkewich, chief commercial officer at SK Life Science. "We remain committed to delivering impactful resources that equip the epilepsy community with the information and tools they need to feel empowered in their epilepsy journey. It is estimated that 3.4 million people in the U.S. are living with epilepsy, and we hope these tools will encourage and support patients and caregivers and help remove some of the barriers to epilepsy treatment."

For Purple Day 2024, SK Life Science is raising awareness around four specific programs that have been developed by SK Life Science in partnership with patient organizations such as Epilepsy Alliance America, Epilepsy Foundation, and CURE Epilepsy, and with innovative new technology platforms such as the one facilitated by PatientPartner. These programs, along with others the company supports, are helping to strengthen the care pathway.

• Patient Mentorship Program. Family, friends, and physicians provide tremendous support following an epilepsy diagnosis, however, sharing real experiences from another person with epilepsy provides a different benefit. One of the ways SK Life Science is doing that is through PatientPartner, a technology that creates meaningful connections between prospective patients and mentors (experienced patients), to help people learn from firsthand experiences. This new platform is a free resource for all patients seeking extra support throughout any point in their healthcare journey and can be found here.
• Ride Share Program. Epilepsy and the potential of a seizure oftentimes interfere with getting to regularly scheduled doctors' appointments. Working in partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation, SK Life Science provides $50 Uber vouchers to those with epilepsy and their caregivers. Specifics about the program can be found here.
• S.T.E.P.S. Toolkit. For the past few years, SK Life Science has been working with Epilepsy Alliance America (EAA) to develop tools to create stronger conversations between people living with epilepsy and their HCPs. The materials, available in English and Spanish, help people living with epilepsy prepare for a visit with their doctor by providing a checklist on seizure frequency, treatment, emotional impact, personal goals and safety. Learn more about the toolkit here.
• Understanding Epilepsy. SK Life Science is proud to support CURE Epilepsy, a leader in funding epilepsy research and an organization dedicated to arming people with valuable knowledge about the condition. Those resources include the Understanding Epilepsy hub where the community can easily access the latest information about epilepsy. Explore CURE Epilepsy's hub here.

"At SK Life Science, we are proud to support organizations that provide the patient community with accessible educational resources on epilepsy and ways to manage seizures," said Louis Ferrari, BS, RPh, MBA, vice president of medical affairs at SK Life Science. "We share their commitment to empower those living with epilepsy and their loved ones with resources that will inspire more informed discussions among patients, caregivers, and their healthcare providers."

For a full list of the organizations SK Life Science partners with to provide educational resources and support to the epilepsy community, please go here.

About Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder. Approximately 3.4 million people are living with epilepsy in the United States, with 150,000 new cases each year in the country.^1,2 Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but often the cause is completely unknown. Having seizures and epilepsy can affect one's safety, relationships, work, driving, and much more.^3,4 People with epilepsy are at risk for accidents and other health complications, including falling, drowning, depression and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).^3,4 Despite the availability of many antiepileptic therapies, almost 40 percent of people with epilepsy are not able to achieve seizure freedom, meaning they have epilepsy that remains uncontrolled.⁵

About SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. and SK Life Science, Inc.

SK Biopharmaceuticals and its U.S. subsidiary SK Life Science are pharmaceutical companies focused on the research, development, and commercialization of treatments for disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and oncology. In 2017, SK Biopharmaceuticals established a research center to begin its expansion into oncology through research and development efforts. The companies have a pipeline of eight compounds in development in both CNS disorders and oncology. Additionally, SK Biopharmaceuticals is focused on the discovery of new treatments in oncology. For more information, visit SK Biopharmaceuticals' website at www.skbp.com/eng and SK Life Science's website at www.SKLifeScienceInc.com.

Both SK Biopharmaceuticals and SK Life Science are part of SK Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Korea. SK Inc., the parent company of SK Biopharmaceuticals, continues to enhance its portfolio value by executing long-term investments with a number of competitive subsidiaries in various business areas, including pharmaceuticals and life science, energy and chemicals, information and telecommunication, and semiconductors. In addition, SK Inc. is focused on reinforcing its growth foundations through profitable and practical management based on financial stability, while raising its enterprise value by investing in new future growth businesses.

References

1. Epilepsy Foundation. Who Can Get Epilepsy? https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/about-epilepsy-basics/who-gets-epilepsy. Accessed March 2024.
2. Epilepsy Foundation. Facts & Statistics About Epilepsy. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/about-epilepsy-basics/epilepsy-statistics. Accessed March 2024.
3. Epilepsy Foundation. Staying Safe. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizure-first-aid-and-safety/staying-safe. Accessed March 2024.
4. Epilepsy Foundation. Complications and Risks. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/challenges-epilepsy. Accessed March 2024.
5. Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, Kwan P. Treatment outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy treated with established and new antiepileptic drugs: a 30-year longitudinal cohort study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29279892. Published online December 26, 2017. 

SOURCE SK Life Science, Inc.