Sanofi Genzyme has launched a global initiative to raise awareness about the physical and emotional impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on everyday life.
The specialty care unit of Sanofi aims to highlight and address the often debilitating symptoms through its vs.MS campaign by encouraging people living with MS to “declare themselves” online.
For each declaration, Sanofi Genzyme has pledged to make a donation to the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF). At the time of writing, 94,054 people had declared their support, utilising the hashtag #vsMS.
The vs.MS website also hosts videos, educational modules and the results of a global survey of people living with relapsing MS (RMS) in order to provide the MS community with the necessary tools to understand and take control of their disease-management.
The RMS survey questioned 1,500 people and their care partners across Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US, revealing the physical and emotional toll faced by the MS community.
Over half of participants reported that they felt lonely or isolated because of their RMS, with two thirds adding that living with the disease has affected their ability to maintain their employment.
Greater than 50% of care partners interviewed said that they avoid discussion of disease progression with the person they care for in order not to upset them.
Carole Huntsman, global multiple sclerosis lead at Sanofi Genzyme, said that the findings of the survey were “compelling”, and would be used to guide the company’s efforts to “better partner with the community to meet the overall needs of MS patients”.