DEERFIELD, Ill. January 10, 2012 - Today, Lundbeck’s U.S. business announced the results of its second Build Hope for HD campaign, benefitting the Casa Hogar Amor y Fe (House of Love and Hope). The Casa Hogar, a unique clinic that provides care for people affected by Huntington’s disease (HD), was at risk of closing its doors. Lundbeck and the Hereditary Disease Foundation rallied support to maintain this clinic because of its significant contributions to HD research in the past and potential contributions in the future. As a result of the campaign, along with additional support from Lundbeck, more than $185,000 was donated to the clinic so that it may continue to provide treatment, food, care and an integrated nursing home to thousands of family members with HD who live along the shores of Lake Maracaibo.

Build Hope for HD, which launched on September 15, 2011, consisted of an online “click” donation campaign on BuildHopeforHD.com, as well as direct donations to the Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) that were matched by Lundbeck. The campaign generated over 1,550 clicks and 60 personal donations to HDF, resulting in the maximum match from Lundbeck. In all, Lundbeck contributed $160,000 to Casa Hogar, which included $110,000 in matching donations through the Build Hope for HD campaign and a $50,000 charitable donation earlier in the year to support the clinic’s immediate financial needs.

“We are so incredibly thankful for Lundbeck’s amazing generosity and to everyone who clicked and donated to help support the Casa Hogar,” said Dr. Nancy Wexler, President of the Hereditary Disease Foundation and Higgins Professor of Neuropsychology, Columbia University. “The families living around the shores of Lake Maracaibo have revolutionized HD research, and the lives of people living with HD around the world. Thanks to them, we were able to locate the HD gene in 1983 and find the gene itself in 1993. The Casa Hogar is an exemplar to the world of the resilience of the Venezuelan professionals and these extraordinary family members suffering from Huntington's disease. The Casa Hogar currently is a model for best care practices, even though the patients, families and caregivers are living in the most extreme circumstances of poverty and duress. Because of the support from Lundbeck and everyone who contributed to the Build Hope for HD campaign, the Casa Hogar is able to keep its doors open and continue to serve the community who has contributed so much to HD research.”

Opened in 1999,¹ the clinic was built in gratitude to the families whose help was critical to researchers who identified the HD gene in 1983 and isolated it in 1993.^2,3 The clinic is now home to over 65 people and provides care and food to many more from the surrounding community. For more than a decade, the Hereditary Disease Foundation has continued to support the costs of medicine, supplies, salaries and other expenses at this unique clinic. By policy of the Casa Hogar, almost all of the people who work there are family members of people with HD.  The clinic was set to close its doors due to lack of funding. Funds donated as a result of the Build Hope for HD campaign will help to keep the clinic open into 2012.

“We are inspired by the support of the hundreds of individuals who participated in this year’s Build Hope for HD campaign,” said Staffan Schüberg, president of Lundbeck in the U.S. “As a company committed to the HD community, we are proud to support the important work of the Casa Hogar.”

About Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of progressive motor, cognitive and emotional symptoms.⁴ These symptoms vary from person to person. The survival time after the onset of symptoms can range from 10 to 30 years and currently there is no cure. The HD gene, whose mutation results in the disease, was localized in 1983 and isolated in 1993.2,3 For more information on HD, please visit the Hereditary Disease Foundation website (www.hdfoundation.org).

About the Hereditary Disease Foundation
The Hereditary Disease Foundation aims to cure Huntington’s disease by supporting research aimed at developing new treatments and cures. The Hereditary Disease Foundation was started by Dr. Milton Wexler in 1968 when his wife was diagnosed with Huntington's disease. The Foundation uses a variety of strategies – workshops, grants, fellowships, and targeted research contracts – to solve the mysteries of genetic disease and develop new treatments and cures. The Hereditary Disease Foundation initiated the International-Venezuela Huntington’s Disease Collaborative Research Project and played a key role in the discovery of the HD gene, which was localized in 1983 and isolated in 1993. ^2,3 For more information, visit the Hereditary Disease Foundation website (www.hdfoundation.org).

About Lundbeck in the U.S.
Lundbeck in the U.S., headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S in Denmark. Lundbeck is dedicated to providing innovative specialty therapies that fulfill unmet medical needs of people with central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as Huntington’s disease. In 2010, Lundbeck initiated the HD Research Initiative to identify and ultimately commercialize therapies that may slow or halt the progression of the Huntington’s disease. This research is driven by collaborations with academic institutions and companies with promising compounds in development. For more information, visit www.lundbeckus.com.

About Lundbeck
H. Lundbeck A/S (LUN.CO, LUN DC, HLUKY) is an international pharmaceutical company highly committed to improving the quality of life for people suffering from brain disorders. For this purpose, Lundbeck is engaged in the research, development, production, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world. The company's products are targeted at disorders such as depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, insomnia, epilepsy, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Lundbeck was founded in 1915 by Hans Lundbeck in Copenhagen, Denmark. Today Lundbeck employs approximately 5,900 people worldwide. Lundbeck is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies working with brain disorders. In 2010, the company's revenue was DKK 14.8 billion (approximately EUR 2.0 billion or USD 2.6 billion). For more information, please visit www.lundbeck.com. 

Sources 

1. Glimm, Adele. “Timeline.” Gene Hunter: the Story of Neuropsychologist Nancy Wexler. New York. Scholastic. 2005 pg 106-107
2. KirkwoodSC, Su JL, Conneally PM, Foroud T. Progression of Symptoms in the Early and Middle Stages of Huntington Disease. Archives of Neurology 2001; 58:273-278.
3. Gusella J, Wexler N, Conneally PM, Naylor S, Anderson M, Tanzi R, Watkins PC, Ottina K, Wallace M, Sakguchi A, Young AB, Shoulson I, Bonilla E, Martin JB. A polymorphic DNA marker genetically linked to Huntington’s disease. Nature 1983; 306:234-238.
4. Huntington’s Disease Collaborative Research Group. A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington’s disease chromosomes. Cell 1993; 72:971-983.