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TO HEALTH, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Astellas Named National Presenting Sponsor of the National Kidney
Foundation Kidney Walk
NEW YORK, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National
Kidney Foundation (NKF) announced today, during National Donate Life
Month, that Astellas Pharma US, Inc. was named the first-ever National
Presenting Sponsor for the Kidney Walk. Through this partnership,
Astellas will support more than 85 Kidney Walk events being held in
major cities across the country.
"Our partnership with NKF exemplifies what Astellas and these walks
are all about - enabling patients to be their own advocates and
promoting a healthy, active lifestyle pre- and post-transplantation,"
said Jim Robinson, President, Astellas Pharma US, Inc. "We are proud
to work with NKF to raise awareness about the transplant journey and
provide patients with a supportive community."
The Kidney Walk is the country's largest walk to fight kidney disease.
The nationwide series of community events call attention to kidney
disease, risk factors and the need for organ donation. More than
100,000 walkers, 6,000 teams and 300,000 donors raise more than $8
million dollars annually to support the NKF's awareness, prevention
and treatment programs.
"The Kidney Walk is not only a fundraiser, but a platform to generate
awareness and drive prevention and organ donation in major cities and
communities throughout the U.S.," said Krystn Kuckelman, the National
Walk Program Director. "Astellas' support will help us reach millions
with these life-saving messages."
One in three American adults - 73 million - is at risk due to high
blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney failure. Nearly
100,000 Americans currently await a life-saving kidney transplant and
14 will die each day while waiting.
Kidney and Transplant Facts:
-- One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people.
-- Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years
or more.
-- Nearly 2,500 new patients are added to the kidney transplant
waiting list each month.
-- More than 26 million people in the U.S. already have kidney disease
and most don't know it.
-- More than 430,000 people in the United States depend on dialysis
treatment to survive.
The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S.
dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease
for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals, millions of
patients and their families, and tens of millions of Americans at
risk. For more information, visit www.kidney.org.
Astellas Pharma US, Inc., located in Northbrook, Illinois, is a U.S.
affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a
pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people
around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable
pharmaceutical products. For more information about Astellas, please
visit www.astellas.us.
Facebook.com, Twitter: @NKF, www.kidney.org
SOURCE National Kidney Foundation
-0- 04/15/2014
/CONTACT: Name: Ellie Schlam, Phone: 212-889-2210 ext.143, ellies@kidney.org
/Web Site: http://www.kidney.org
CO: National Kidney Foundation; Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
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SU: AVO
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-- DC04600 --
0000 04/15/2014 13:03:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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