PatientsLikeMe and Shire Pharmaceuticals collaborate to study rare genetic diseases

PatientsLikeMe and Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) have announced a new collaboration that will support the development of a patient-centered, real world health learning system that expands understanding of patient health and disease. Shire, the global leader in rare diseases and other highly specialized conditions, will work with PatientsLikeMe to appropriately engage patients and caregivers at every stage of their journey. Through the creation of digitally-enabled research communities and tools, this multi-year collaboration will help those struggling with a rare disease to track and share their experience with others living with the same condition. It will also connect patient-generated health data with genotype and physiological data to enable research outcomes in order to help Shire better meet the specific needs of patients with rare diseases.

Philip Vickers, PhD, Head of Research and Development for Shire, said working with PatientsLikeMe will help the company overcome some of the traditional challenges inherent in understanding rare diseases. "Establishing regular connections with patients and their caregivers has been challenging for researchers studying rare diseases. We typically study patients at a specific point in time in a clinical setting that may be far from home. Our collaboration with PatientsLikeMe will enable Shire to understand how disease impacts patients in their own environment and integrate data from multiple sources on a single platform. Our goal is to gather a more complete picture of the patient and caregiver experience that could potentially guide the development of new, more patient-centered treatments."

PatientsLikeMe Co-founder and President Ben Heywood said the collaboration will give patients and caregivers new ways to understand their symptoms, treatment impacts and quality of life over time, and new insights into how to improve their outcomes. It will also help both companies advance research for a deeper and more collaborative understanding of health and disease.

"From my own family’s experience, I know that having a rare disease can be incredibly isolating. But as we've seen with other conditions, patients and caregivers who connect on our platform have unprecedented control and influence over their experience, and potentially their outcomes," Heywood said. "Our work with Shire will give patients, caregivers and researchers access to new forms of data that can improve our understanding of the human condition, and help Shire align their operations behind patient-driven directives. We applaud that effort and are delighted to help drive it."

Karl Hick, CIO for Shire, said that "digital technologies are driving a major shift in healthcare, empowering patients and their caregivers to take greater control of their health outcomes, and enabling better insights into patient needs. The collaboration between Shire and PatientsLikeMe will create an empowered and enlightened community of rare disease patients and caregivers, and integrate cutting-edge technologies to build a full understanding of the disease and diagnostic journey."

About PatientsLikeMe
PatientsLikeMe, the world’s largest personalized health network, helps people find new options for treatments, connect with others, and take action to improve their outcomes. The company has worked with every major pharmaceutical company and a range of government organizations to bring the patient voice to research, development and public policy. With more than 500,000 members, PatientsLikeMe is a trusted source for real-world disease information and a clinically robust resource that has published more than 100 research studies.

About Shire
Shire is the leading global biotechnology company focused on serving people with rare diseases and other highly specialized conditions. We strive to develop best-in-class products, many of which are available in more than 100 countries, across core therapeutic areas including Hematology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Ophthalmics, Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Gastrointestinal/Internal Medicine/Endocrine and Hereditary Angioedema; and a growing franchise in Oncology.

Our employees come to work every day with a shared mission: to develop and deliver breakthrough therapies for the hundreds of millions of people in the world affected by rare diseases and other high-need conditions, and who lack effective therapies to live their lives to the fullest.