Teva Respiratory Sponsors 'Asthma Awareness Night' Featuring Free Asthma and Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm (EIB) Screenings

PHILADELPHIA, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States alone, over 22 million people, including more than six million children, are known to have asthma, which is a leading cause of hospital emergency department visits and school absenteeism. In response to these alarming statistics, and in an effort to raise public awareness of the risks faced everyday by those living with asthma, Teva Respiratory is supporting National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month as a Platinum sponsor of the American Lung Association's (ALA) 7th Annual Philadelphia Asthma Walk on May 1, 2010, as well as partnering with the Philadelphia Phillies to host Asthma Awareness Night at Citizens Bank Park on World Asthma Day, May 4, 2010.

It is well known that patients who have asthma should exercise. However, asthma patients who exercise may develop symptoms, such as wheeze, chest tightness, cough and shortness of breath. In an effort to understand more about the factors that contribute to the burden of asthma, Teva Respiratory sponsored a comprehensive, national survey (www.EIBLandmarkSurvey.com) to explore the prevalence, management and impact of a phenomenon known as exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) in the general population, including people who have asthma. People with EIB develop asthma symptoms during or shortly after completing exercise.  According to "EIB: A Landmark Survey," four out of five asthma patients are experiencing exercise-related respiratory symptoms, but less than a quarter have been formally diagnosed with EIB. A key finding of the survey was that the experience of exercise-related symptoms is one of the reasons that people with asthma limit or even avoid activities. For people with asthma, managing the interaction between exercise and their asthma is critical for having a better quality of life and avoiding the negative consequences of exercise avoidance such as obesity.

"Many people do not recognize EIB symptoms because they think it's natural for their bodies to respond to an increase in physical activity in this way," says Dr. Timothy J. Craig, DO, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Penn State University College of Medicine. "But having EIB does not mean you should avoid exercise. National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month is the perfect time to become well-informed on proper treatment and precautions to help you stay active – whether you're taking a leisurely walk, exercising to stay healthy, training for a competitive event or training to become an elite athlete." 

The NAEPP guidelines recommend pre-treatment of EIB with a short-acting beta agonist (SABA) for managing symptoms, however patients who have frequent, severe EIB should talk to their physician to evaluate the status of their underlying asthma. There may be a need to initiate or increase daily long-term control therapy since symptoms of EIB for those with asthma can be a sign that their asthma is not well-controlled. To provide patients and doctors with an opportunity to discuss asthma issues and risks, Teva Respiratory is sponsoring a national program offered by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) which provides free asthma and EIB screenings in local communities. The screenings allow physicians and the communities they serve to have better dialogue around asthma management, including, exercise-related symptoms, while discussing which albuterol inhaler may be right for them. Not all albuterol inhalers are the same. Some have limitations such as storage position and expiration dates that affect portability and therefore might not be the right choice for those who are active and have EIB.

Teva Respiratory is pleased to participate in a number of activities during Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.

• Teva Respiratory is a Platinum sponsor of the ALA Philadelphia Asthma Walk and will be participating in the three-mile walk throughout downtown Philadelphia. The walk begins at the historic Headhouse Square, 2nd and Lombard St., at 9:00 a.m. All proceeds from the event will support life saving education, research and advocacy efforts in the fight against asthma and other lung diseases.
• Teva Respiratory and ACAAI will be offering free asthma screenings during the Phillies' Asthma Awareness Night, which is taking place during the 7:05 p.m. Phillies-St. Louis Cardinals game on May 4, 2010. The screenings will be set up at the first and third base entrances, as well as at the left field gate. Screenings are open to all fans. Adults and children who have symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath or wheezing that occur during or immediately after exercise can find out if they are at risk for asthma or exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB).

For more information about Teva's ongoing commitment to asthma awareness and education, please visit www.TevaRespiratory.com and www.EIBLandmarkSurvey.com.

About Asthma and Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm (EIB)

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the large and small airways with recurring episodes of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. When something sets off or triggers an asthma attack, like exercise, airways become inflamed and swollen, and the muscles around the airways tighten (bronchospasm). Symptoms of asthma include wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing that often occurs at night or early in the morning. Without appropriate treatment, asthma symptoms may become more severe and result in an asthma attack, which can lead to hospitalization and even death. If a person has exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB), physical exertion may be the only thing that triggers asthma symptoms.

Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts in childhood. In the U.S., more than 22 million people are known to have asthma, including more than 6 million children. Each year in the U.S., asthma causes approximately 500,000 hospitalizations, 134 million days of restricted activity and 4,000 deaths. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of all individuals who have allergic asthma will experience symptoms of EIB with vigorous exercise or activity. For teenagers and young adults, exercise is often the most common cause of asthma symptoms.

About Teva Respiratory

Teva Respiratory is the U.S.-based respiratory subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., headquartered in Israel, is among the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world and is the leading generic pharmaceutical company. The company develops, manufactures and markets generic and innovative pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Over 80 percent of Teva's sales are in North America and Western Europe.

Teva's Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of management. Such statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to successfully develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products, the introduction of competing generic equivalents, the extent to which we may obtain U.S. market exclusivity for certain of our new generic products and regulatory changes that may prevent us from utilizing exclusivity periods, potential liability for sales of generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding patent litigation, including that relating to the generic versions of Neurontin®, Lotrel® and Protonix®, the extent to which any manufacturing or quality control problems damage our reputation for high quality production, the effects of competition on sales of our innovative products, especially Copaxone® (including potential generic and oral competition for Copaxone®), the impact of continuing consolidation of our distributors and customers, our ability to identify, consummate and successfully integrate acquisitions, interruptions in our supply chain or problems with our information technology systems that adversely affect our complex manufacturing processes, intense competition in our specialty pharmaceutical businesses, any failures to comply with the complex Medicare and Medicaid reporting and payment obligations, our exposure to currency fluctuations and restrictions as well as credit risks, the effects of reforms in healthcare regulation, adverse effects of political or economical instability, major hostilities or acts of terrorism on our significant worldwide operations, increased government scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe of our agreements with brand companies, dependence on the effectiveness of our patents and other protections for innovative products, our ability to achieve expected results through our innovative R&D efforts, the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authority approvals, uncertainties surrounding the legislative and regulatory pathway for the registration and approval of biotechnology-based products, potentially significant impairments of intangible assets and goodwill, potential increases in tax liabilities resulting from challenges to our intercompany arrangements, our potential exposure to product liability claims to the extent not covered by insurance, the termination or expiration of governmental programs or tax benefits, current economic conditions, any failure to retain key personnel or to attract additional executive and managerial talent, environmental risks and other factors that are discussed in this report and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

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SOURCE Teva Respiratory