Shire announces recipients of 2016 Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards

To coincide with ADHD Awareness Month, Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) today announced the winners of the 2016 Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards. The awards celebrate outstanding work by patient advocacy organisations around the world that aim to improve the lives of people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

On behalf of Shire, an international panel of judges awarded unrestricted grants of €10,000 to the following patient groups in recognition of the impact of their innovative work during 2015:

• Early Therapy Group, an innovative project for the treatment of pre-school age children with ADHD – Fundacion ADANA (Spain)
• ADHD and School – HyperSupers TDAH France (France)
• Establishment of a foundation for children, teenagers and adults diagnosed with ADHD – TDAH Irapuato (Mexico)

“This year, we received an unprecedented amount of first-class entries and were extremely impressed by the innovative approaches patient advocacy groups are taking to further understanding and tackle misconceptions around ADHD.” said Tom Croce, Head of Global Patient Advocacy at Shire. “We are proud that the awarded grants will help the three winners to continue to provide the much needed support to the ADHD community.”

Developed, funded and organised by Shire, the Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards are part of the company’s patient-centric approach that provides support to people living with ADHD and their caregivers.

“Young children living with ADHD often suffer from stigmatisation and isolation from their peers and teachers. It is essential that they benefit from interventions at an early age and their teachers and parents receive behavioral coaching,” said Bea Mena Pujol, Director of Fundacion ADANA. “This grant will allow us to continue to support these children and help them achieve success at school.”

“The award recognises the creation of the www.tdahecole.fr website which is the result of collaboration from volunteers and healthcare professionals committed to improving the education of children with ADHD,” said Christine Gétin, Chair of HyperSupers TDAH France. “We are more motivated than ever to continue our work with children who have this challenging disorder.”

"The support we will receive will be very useful for helping children, teenagers and adults in Mexico with ADHD, especially in the Irapuato community,” said Araceli Almanza Lamas, Chair of TDAH Irapuato. “We are now in the position to provide personalised care and education to people with ADHD, which will help them reach their full potential.”

The esteemed judging panel included the following representatives from patient and mental health organisations: Aagje Ieven, European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI); Ann Little, European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA); Frédéric Destrebecq, European Brain Council and Kawaldip Sehmi, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations.