ViroPharma Launches 'Swell,' an Original Documentary Chronicling the Lives of People Living with Hereditary Angioedema

EXTON, Pa., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ViroPharma Incorporated (NASDAQ: VPHM) today announced the launch of the documentary Swell, a twenty-five minute film that allows families dealing with the rare genetic swelling disease, hereditary angioedema (HAE), to share the challenges and triumphs of living with a chronic disorder. Swell also explores the perspective of physicians that manage HAE, often times through many generations of the same family. The film can be viewed in its entirety at www.swellmovie.com.

The film website also contains important resources for anyone touched by the disease, or those who want to better understand the everyday life of these extraordinary people. The site will be updated with new video footage and information on a regular basis.

"Over the past few years, everyone at ViroPharma has been touched, humbled and motivated by people living with this rare, devastating condition," stated Kristina Broadbelt, ViroPharma's associate director of global public relations and advocacy. "Those interactions had so much impact, we thought it important to find a way to share the stories of strength, courage and perseverance with as large an audience as possible," continued Broadbelt.

ViroPharma tapped award winning documentary film-maker, Marc Brodzik, and his production company Woodshop Films (www.woodshopfilms.com) of Philadelphia, PA to produce, shoot and direct the film. Unlike the traditional patient video format, the film was shot with the Cinema verite approach, combining naturalistic techniques with low fi stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to help uncover the true nature of its subjects.

"I was very excited to participate in this important project," said Dr. David Hurewitz, an allergist/immunologist at the Allergy Clinic of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla. "Raising awareness of rare disorders is critically important, and may help in the diagnosis of the disease. In addition, a film like this can help assure those dealing with such a rare condition that they are not alone."

This film is one in a series of programs that demonstrates ViroPharma's commitment to raising awareness of hereditary angioedema and to supporting the rare disease community. All of these programs – including Swell -- can be accessed at HAEandME.com.

About Hereditary Angioedema

HAE is a rare, severely debilitating, life-threatening genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of C1 inhibitor, a human plasma protein. This condition is the result of a defect in the gene controlling the synthesis of C1 inhibitor. C1 inhibitor maintains the natural regulation of the contact, complement, and fibrinolytic systems, that when left unregulated, can initiate or perpetuate an attack by consuming the already low levels of endogenous C1 inhibitor in HAE patients. Patients with C1 inhibitor deficiency experience recurrent, unpredictable, debilitating, and potentially life threatening attacks of inflammation affecting the larynx, abdomen, face, extremities and urogenital tract. Patients with HAE experience approximately 20 to 100 days of incapacitation per year. There are estimated to be at least 6,500 people with HAE in the United States.

For more information on HAE, visit the U.S. HAE Association's website at: www.haea.org.

About ViroPharma Incorporated

ViroPharma Incorporated is an international biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing novel solutions for physician specialists to address unmet medical needs of patients living with diseases that have few if any clinical therapeutic options.  Our goal is to provide rewarding careers to employees, to create new standards of care in the way serious diseases are treated, and to build international partnerships with the patients, advocates, and health care professionals we serve. 

ViroPharma routinely posts information, including press releases, which may be important to investors in the investor relations and media sections of our company's website, http://www.viropharma.com/. The company encourages investors to consult these sections for more information on ViroPharma and our business.

SOURCE ViroPharma Incorporated