NEW YORK and RYE BROOK, NY, MARCH 29, 2022 – Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) today announced a charitable commitment totaling $7.5 million to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a global leader in the fight against blood cancer. Through this five-year alliance, Royalty Pharma will support initiatives focused on reducing healthcare disparities in blood cancer care and treatment. Royalty Pharma is a founding donor of the LLS IMPACT grant program (Influential Medicine Providing Access to Clinical Trials) which awards funding to major cancer research and treatment centers to expand access to clinical trials for underserved and minority populations. Royalty Pharma plc will not receive any economic benefit in exchange for any aspect of these donations.
“Despite many advances in blood cancer care and treatment, barriers exist in many communities to prevent patients from accessing new, more effective therapies and protocols that can lead to better outcomes,” said Pablo Legorreta, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Royalty Pharma. “The gift awarded through Royalty Pharma’s alliance with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is intended to propel the work LLS is doing in underserved communities through three key initiatives that will help break down these barriers and ensure that everyone has access to the care they need to treat their blood cancer.”
Blood cancer does not discriminate, affecting people of every age, gender, race and ethnicity. But not all people have equal access to care and treatments. LLS exists to ensure that all patients get the care they need. Royal Pharma’s annual contribution of $1.5 million over five years will be equally distributed to the following LLS initiatives that address disparities:
- Equity in Access Research Program is a grantmaking program designed to generate evidence that will guide changes in healthcare policy and practice to ensure that all blood cancer patients and survivors achieve access to the cancer care and services they need throughout their lives. This new and novel program is based on the concept of health equity as the principle underlying a commitment to reduce—and ultimately, eliminate—disparities in health.
- LLS IMPACT* Research Grants initiative has been established to improve access to clinical trials for underrepresented patients, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) patients and people from rural communities. Through this initiative, LLS has awarded funding to three major cancer centers located in New York, Tennessee, and Minnesota to partner with community-based hospitals and clinics on creating networks of clinical trial sites in their regions. Additional sites will be selected in the coming months. More information, including participating sites, the communities they serve and the need to address disparities in these areas can be found here.
- Myeloma Link is carried out by LLS staff and volunteers in 13 Black communities across the country. It is an education and outreach initiative that raises community awareness about myeloma and connects Black patients and caregivers to trusted, free myeloma information and support and enhances access to care and the latest treatments. Black Americans have at least double the incidence of myeloma as any other racial or ethnic group, and recent studies show they experience less optimal care. To learn more, including the cities where Myeloma Link is active, please visit this site.
“The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has a long-standing commitment to serving all blood cancer patients and reaching underserved communities where there are barriers to access and equitable care,” said Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “Royalty Pharma’s generous contribution to these three important initiatives will bring us closer to achieving our goal to ensure a future of expanded access and better outcomes for all blood cancer patients and their families.”
About Royalty Pharma plc
Founded in 1996, Royalty Pharma is the largest buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a leading funder of innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry, collaborating with innovators from academic institutions, research hospitals and not-for-profits through small and mid-cap biotechnology companies to leading global pharmaceutical companies. Royalty Pharma has assembled a portfolio of royalties which entitles it to payments based directly on the top-line sales of many of the industry’s leading therapies. Royalty Pharma funds innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry both directly and indirectly - directly when it partners with companies to co-fund late-stage clinical trials and new product launches in exchange for future royalties, and indirectly when it acquires existing royalties from the original innovators. Royalty Pharma’s current portfolio includes royalties on more than 35 commercial products, including AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson’s Imbruvica, Johnson & Johnsons’ Tremfya, Astellas’ and Pfizer’s Xtandi, Biogen’s Tysabri, Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, Gilead’s Trodelvy, Merck’s Januvia, Novartis’ Promacta, Vertex’s Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko and Trikafta, and ten development-stage product candidates. For more information, visit www.royaltypharma.com.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the global leader in the fight against blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has regions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
For additional information visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
To request more information or an interview, please contact mediarelations@lls.org.