Bayer Launches Breathless Moments Contest For First Annual CTEPH Awareness Day

WHIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For many people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH, pronounced "SEE-teff"), a form of pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by blood clots in the lungs (a pulmonary embolism)¹, simple tasks can make breathing extremely difficult.² In order to raise awareness about this rare condition and support the patient community, Bayer HealthCare today launched a three-month Breathless Moments photo contest* to educate the public about CTEPH while showcasing inspirational events, sights or moments in time that can take a person's breath away. Today also marks the first annual CTEPH Awareness Day, introduced by Bayer and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA).

The Breathless Moments contest is open between November 18, 2014 and February 27, 2015. Anyone can participate by submitting a photo they have taken that showcases a positive moment that took their breath away. In order to submit a photo for consideration, a participant will need to visit www.breathlessmoments.cteph.com, answer four simple questions about CTEPH and upload the photo. At the end of the contest, a panel of patients will select their favorite photo, which will be included in future CTEPH awareness activities including an advertisement in the photographer's local community.

"We are pleased to support the Breathless Moments contest and Bayer's work to raise awareness about CTEPH," said Rino Aldrighetti, President and CEO of PHA, Silver Spring, Md. "CTEPH is a debilitating condition that greatly impacts the lives of patients and their loved ones every day."  

PHA is the country's leading pulmonary hypertension organization. Its mission is to find ways to prevent and cure pulmonary hypertension and provide hope for the community through support, education, research, advocacy and awareness. PHA has created a patient-centered page on their website dedicated to CTEPH awareness and education, www.PHAssociation.org/CTEPH.

Bayer and PHA celebrate PH Awareness month in November, and will observe CTEPH Awareness Day on November 18 annually moving forward.

"The Breathless Moments contest will encourage people to reconsider and appreciate the positive moments in life that leave them breathless, while learning more about CTEPH," said Dario Mirski, MD, Vice President and Head, U.S. Medical Affairs, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. "CTEPH is a rare and life-threatening condition that can go undiagnosed for years. We hope that, thanks to this campaign, those experiencing symptoms will start conversations with their doctors early on."

About Pulmonary Hypertension and CTEPH
PH is a rare, debilitating disease of the lungs that affects the functioning of the heart and can lead to right heart failure.³ CTEPH is a form of PH, WHO Group 4, whose symptoms include shortness of breath, chest discomfort and fatigue⁴, in which blood clots and thromboembolic occlusion of the pulmonary vessels leads to increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries.⁵ The symptoms experienced by CTEPH patients are similar to those of other more common diseases, like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and to those of other types of pulmonary hypertension. In part because these symptoms are nonspecific, CTEPH is underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed as another disease.^6,7  The standard treatment for CTEPH is pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (also referred to as PTE, or pulmonary endarterectomy, PEA), a potentially curative surgery that clears clots and scar material from the blood vessels of the lung.⁴

To submit a photo and read more information about the submission requirements, please visit www.breathlessmoments.cteph.com  

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare provides products for Cardiopulmonary, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women's Healthcare. The company's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

* All photos submitted become the property of Bayer Corporation. Further details will appear on breathlessmoments.cteph.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

BAYER and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer.

¹ Pepke-Zaba et al., ERS 2010.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Piazza G and Goldhaber SZ. Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:351-360
⁵ Kim NH et al. Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;62(suppl D):D92-D99
⁶ Piazza G and Goldhaber SZ. Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:351-360.
⁷ Tapson V et al. Incidence and prevalence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: from acute to chronic pulmonary embolism. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2006;3:564-7.

Intended for U.S. media only

SOURCE Bayer Corporation

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