28th February 2022, A campaign launched today to mark Rare Disease Day aims to express solidarity with those living with rare diseases. Rare diseases impact over 300 million people worldwide[1] . Perhaps even more shocking is that whilst more than 6,000 of these illnesses have been recognized, for the majority there still is no cure or approved treatment. The initiative from the Chiesi Global Rare Diseases aims to show that rare is, in fact, not so rare and invites patients, care givers and the general public to show their support for individuals living with rare diseases on social media.
Why do #WeWearStripes?
In medicine, zebras are used to refer to a rare disease or condition. Doctors are taught to assume that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one, leading to the phrase “When you hear the sound of hooves, think horses, not zebras.” There are millions of people living with rare diseases worldwide and patients are often misdiagnosed or ignored because they have unusual or unexplained symptoms. Rare Disease Day uses the symbol of the zebra to celebrate each patient: just as zebras have their own, unique pattern of stripes, rare disease patients may have their own unique set of symptoms.
How to get involved
The #wewearstripes campaign kicked off this morning with participation from professional basketball player Luigi Datome, world-renowned tennis player Elina Svitolina, paralympic swimmer Jessica Long and paralympic athlete Veronica Yoko Plebani.
Anyone can join them in expressing solidarity with rare disease patients. At wewearstripes.com you’ll find a zebra filter which you can use and upload to social media. For each photo uploaded Chiesi Global Rare Diseases will donate €1 up to €15.000 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation to give hope to children living with a terminal disease. All the pictures will also become part of a unique artwork: a mosaic of faces that merge together to form the image of a zebra.
This simple gesture will help to show that people living with rare diseases are not alone. We are all on the same team and proudly wear stripes on this day to raise awareness about the realities of living with a rare disease.”
At Chiesi our work starts and ends with patients. We’re committed to bringing innovative new treatment options to people living with rare diseases. This Rare Disease Day, we call on individuals and policymakers alike to recognize the impact that rare diseases can have on patients’ lives.
To find out more about Rare Disease Day and the #WeWearStripes campaign visit https://wewearstripes.com/
About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established in February 2020 and focused on research and development of treatments for rare and ultra-rare disorders. The Global Rare Diseases unit works in collaboration with Chiesi Group to harness the full resources and capabilities of our global network to bring innovative new treatment options to people living with rare diseases, many of whom have limited or no treatments available. The unit is also a dedicated partner with global leaders in patient advocacy, research and patient care. For more information visit www.chiesiglobalrarediseases.com.
About Chiesi Group
Based in Parma, Italy, Chiesi is an international research-focused pharmaceuticals and healthcare group with over 85 years’ experience, operating in 30 countries with more than 6,000 employees (Chiesi Group). To achieve its mission of improving people’s quality of life by acting responsibly towards society and the environment, the Group researches, develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in its three focus areas: AIR (products and services that promote respiration, from new-born to adult populations), RARE (treatment for patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases) and CARE (products and services that support specialty care and consumer-facing self-care). The Group’s Research and Development center is based in Parma and works alongside 6 other important research and development hubs in France, the U.S., Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden to pursue its pre-clinical, clinical, and regulatory programs. In 2018 Chiesi has changed its legal status to a Benefit Corporation, according to the law in Italy, USA and, more recently, in France, by incorporating common benefit objectives into its bylaws, to generate value for its business, for the society and the environment. Since 2019, Chiesi has been the world’s largest B Corp certified pharmaceutical group. B Corps are global leaders convinced to leverage business as a force for good. Moreover, as a Benefit Corporation, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. is required by law to report annually in a transparent way about its progress in achieving the common benefits objectives it has set forward. The Group is committed to becoming carbon neutral by the end of 2035. For further information visit: www.chiesi.com
[1] https://download2.eurordis.org/documents/pdf/PressRelease_RareDiseaseDay2020.pdf
