ETP and EF Announce Merger to Create New National Organization
New Epilepsy Foundation to Drive Education, Awareness, Supportive Care and New Therapies for Millions of People Living with Seizures
Washington, D.C., OCTOBER 4, 2012 -- The Epilepsy
Foundation and the Epilepsy Therapy Project today announced an intention
to merge. The new organization will have unparalleled reach and
leadership through a nationwide supportive care network, broad-based
public awareness, education and focus on accelerating the clinical
development of innovative therapies for people with epilepsy. The
Epilepsy Therapy Project will continue to work to accelerate new
therapies in a timeframe that matters as the Epilepsy Therapy Project of
the new Epilepsy Foundation.
“The reality we face today is that one-third of more than two million
Americans living with epilepsy have no seizure control. A staggering one
in 26 Americans will develop a form of epilepsy in their lifetime, and
still epilepsy remains one of the most under-supported medical
conditions in the nation. The coming together of the Epilepsy Foundation
and the Epilepsy Therapy Project will create an organization with
critical mass, energy and credibility,” said Warren Lammert, co-founder
of the Epilepsy Therapy Project and the father of a child with epilepsy.
“Rather than building two competing brands and infrastructures, we will
invest together to advance new therapies in a timeframe that matters
and improve the lives of people with epilepsy.”
The Epilepsy Therapy Project and Epilepsy Foundation together have
provided funding to 42 of the 85 known drugs and devices in active
development through an existing and successful partnership, resulting in
the introduction of three new epilepsy products in the past year: the
Visualase MR guided laser for minimally invasive epilepsy surgery, the
SmartWatch seizure detection and caregiver alert device, and the
NeuroSigma Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation system for the
adjunctive treatment of epilepsy.
“The Epilepsy Therapy Project has done an impressive job of uniting the
clinical and research communities, advancing the epilepsy pipeline, and
creating epilepsy.com - the foremost website for professionals and
consumers,” said Brien Smith, M.D., Chairman, Epilepsy Foundation. “As
one foundation, we have the opportunity to build an exceptional and
highly focused organization - with the capability and expertise to make
enormous strides in education, funding and the acceleration of new
therapies.”
“As a physician who treats many people with epilepsy, I am reminded
daily of the desperate need for new and better therapies and scientific
breakthroughs for those with no treatment options. When we created the
Epilepsy Therapy Project, we faced the same need 10 years ago as today –
to raise the level of funding in the nation and accelerate the
development and commercialization of new therapeutics and diagnostics,”
said Orrin Devinsky, M.D., co-founder of the Epilepsy Therapy Project,
Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry and Director of the
NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University. “We need
strength, synergy and unity to drive our mission moving forward. Once
merged, the Epilepsy Therapy Project and the Epilepsy Foundation will
focus scientific research and clinical medicine on the most important
goal – new therapies, better control and a national call to action on
behalf of everyone living with epilepsy.”
The merging of the Epilepsy Foundation with the Epilepsy Therapy
Project will create a unified organization driving education, awareness,
support and new therapies for people and families living with epilepsy,
bringing together the mission and assets of both organizations:
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epilepsy.com, the leading portal for people, caregivers and professionals dealing with epilepsy;
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48 affiliated Epilepsy Foundations around the country dedicated to providing free programs and services to people living with epilepsy and their loved ones;
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Scientific, Professional and Business Advisory Boards comprised of leading epilepsy physicians, health care professionals and researchers, industry professionals and investors with experience in clinical care, as well as in the evaluation and commercialization of new therapies;
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A track record of identifying and supporting important new science, translational research programs, and the most promising new therapies;
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The Epilepsy Pipeline Conference, a leading global forum organized in partnership with the Epilepsy Study Consortium that showcases the most exciting new drugs, devices and therapies, and includes the Epilepsy Shark Tank; and
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A professional advocacy network focused on increasing epilepsy government and military funding and initiatives at the federal, state and local levels.
“When your child is first diagnosed with epilepsy, the fear, isolation
and questions can be paralyzing,” said Philip M. Gattone, President and
CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation and the father of a child with epilepsy.
“The new Epilepsy Foundation will be even stronger and more nimble in
providing national leadership and support to the epilepsy community. By
bringing together the resources of the Epilepsy Foundation with the
Epilepsy Therapy Project and epilepsy.com, we will be able to reach all
people with epilepsy - from the newly diagnosed to soldiers returning
from war - and help them understand the condition, seek out the best
treatment options and educate on scientific inroads and clinical trials.
No one needs to feel alone in the fight against epilepsy.”
The Boards of both organizations have agreed to a Memorandum of
Understanding which, when executed, will result in the creation of a
newly merged organization known as the Epilepsy Foundation. The plan
will be for the organizations to be fully united by January 1, 2013.
About Epilepsy
When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they have epilepsy.
Epilepsy affects more than two million people in the United States and
65 million people worldwide. This year, another 200,000 people in the
U.S. will be diagnosed with epilepsy. Despite all available treatments,
30 to 40 percent of people with epilepsy continue to experience
seizures.
About the Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation, a national nonprofit with affiliated
organizations throughout the United States, has led the fight against
epilepsy since 1968. The Foundation’s mission is to stop seizures, find
cures and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy. For additional
information, please visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org.
About the Epilepsy Therapy Project
The Epilepsy Therapy Project is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization
whose mission is to accelerate ideas into therapies for people living
with epilepsy and seizures. Founded in 2002 by a group of parents,
distinguished physicians, and researchers, the Epilepsy Therapy Project
supports the commercialization of new therapies through direct grants
and investments in promising academic and commercial projects. For more
information about epilepsy, epilepsy treatment and the epilepsy
pipeline, please visit our website, www.epilepsy.com.