Almirall’s Shedding Light on Psoriasis campaign exposes the impact of this disease on the mental health and wellbeing

WORLD PSORIASIS DAY 2022

Almirall’s Shedding Light on Psoriasis campaign exposes the impact of this disease on the mental health and wellbeing

• Psoriasis affects around 60 million people worldwide^[i] and is associated with serious mental health conditions
• One out of ten people living with psoriasis are diagnosed with clinical depression^[ii] and 48% show signs of anxiety^[iii]
• This year's campaign, in collaboration with the IFPA (International Federation of Psoriasis Associations), will shed a light on the stories of people living with psoriasis and show how psoriasis affects their mental health, their quality of life and the stigma they face in society

From left to right: Paolo Cionini (Almirall’s Chief Commercial Officer of EU & International), Frida Dunger (IFPA's Executive Director), Karina Chávez (IFPA ambassador and protagonist of the campaign), Gianfranco Nazzi (Almirall’s CEO), Isabel Gomes (Almirall’s General Counsel) and Volker Koscielny (Almirall’s Chief Medical Officer)

BARCELONA, Spain. October 28th, 2022 – Almirall, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health, has launched in collaboration with the IFPA (International Federation of Psoriasis Associations) the second edition of the "Shedding Light on Psoriasis" campaign for World Psoriasis Day 2022, which takes place on 29th October, to raise awareness of the impact of this chronic condition on the wellbeing and mental health. Psoriasis is a systemic disease involving approximately 60 million people around the world^[iv] and af­fecting multiple areas of the body[v], which can negatively affect self-esteem and confidence, often due to social rejection. In fact, half of the people with psoriasis suffer a moderate to very large impact on their quality of life[vi] due to the strong effects on their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Shedding Light on Psoriasis aims to shed light on the stories of people living with psoriasis and show how the dark side of psoriasis affects their mental health, quality of life and the stigma they suffer from society. To do this, renowned illustrator Beatriz Ramo (@naranjalidad) has created a portrait of two people with psoriasis painting their journey with psoriasis: the struggles and achievements they have made throughout their lives.

"It doesn't make sense to just treat my pain, treat my flare-ups, I also need to support my mental health because we know that stress and other things are a trigger for those outbreaks. We also must relate the family to that, because lack of confidence related to flare-ups can affect our relationships, careers and finances. A multidisciplinary approach to psoriasis needs to be emphasised,” said Joel Nelson, IFPA ambassador and one of the main protagonists of the campaign.

Eight out of ten people living with psoriasis have reported that the disease has affected their relationships⁶, especially their partners, and their family life, according to a recently published IFPA report.

Psoriasis is also associated with serious mental health conditions. More than a quarter of people living with psoriasis show symptoms of depression, one in ten people living with psoriasis are diagnosed with clinical depression[vii] and 48% show signs of anxiety[viii]. The disease influences the education and career choices and can limit productivity and the ability to perform tasks due to fatigue and absenteeism^{9,11,[ix],[x],[xi],[xii]}. Professionally, psoriasis can have a major impact, potentially becoming a cause of unemployment[xiii] and affecting career advancement and earning potential[xiv]^,[xv].

“The goal for World Psoriasis Day 2022 is to raise awareness between psoriatic disease and mental health. We need to support the unloading of the burden for people living with psoriatic disease and increase the wellbeing of those affected. Thank you, Almirall, for supporting IFPA in this journey and for giving the space for people living with the disease to speak up and share their stories”, stated Frida Dunger, IFPA's Executive Director.

“The link between psoriasis and the impact on mental health is well documented. At Almirall, we are committed to continuing raising awareness of the daily challenges faced by psoriasis patients and through campaigns such as Shedding Light on Psoriasis, we are successfully highlighting the importance of finding approaches that correctly capture the full impact of psoriasis on patients' lives.”, told Volker Koscielny, Almirall’s Chief Medical Officer. “It is important for us to stand by the patient community to fulfil our purpose of transforming patients' lives by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life”, he added.

More information can be found at http://www.sheddinglightonpsoriasis.com 

About Psoriasis Vulgaris

Psoriasis is a common, non-contagious, chronic skin disease, with no clear cause or cure. The negative impact of psoriasis on people’s lives can be immense as it affects the appearance of the skin with red, scaly plaques. Psoriasis affects people of all ages, and in all countries. The reported prevalence of psoriasis in Europe varies from 0.6% to 6.5% with an average of approximately 3% of the population[xvi]^,[xvii], making psoriasis a serious global problem with about 60 million individuals affected worldwide¹. The flares of psoriasis can be unpredictable and significant comorbidities are common, including arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and depression.

About Almirall

Almirall is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health. We collaborate with scientists and healthcare professionals to address patient’s needs through science to improve their lives. Our Noble Purpose is at the core of our work: “Transform the patients' world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life.” We invest in differentiated and ground-breaking medical dermatology products to bring our innovative solutions to patients in need.

The company, founded in 1943 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publicly traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM). Throughout its 79-year history, Almirall has retained a strong focus on the needs of patients. Currently, Almirall has a direct presence in 21 countries and strategic agreements in over 70, with about 1,800 employees. Total revenues in 2021 were 836.5 million euros.

Media contact:

Tinkle

Laura Blázquez

lblazquez@tinkle.es

Phone: (+34) 600 430 581

Investors’ Relations contact

Almirall

Pablo Divasson del Fraile

pablo.divasson@almirall.com

Phone: (+34) 93 291 30 87

Corporate Communications contact:

Almirall

Mar Ramírez

mar.ramirez@almirall.com

Phone: (+34) 659 614 173

[iv] Parisi R, Iskandar I Y K, Kontopantelis E, Augustin M, Griffiths C E M, Ashcroft D M et al. National, regional, and worldwide epidemiology of psoriasis: systematic analysis and modelling study BMJ 2020; 369 :m1590 doi:10.1136/bmj.m1590

[v] IFPA | Our Cause. https://ifpa-pso.com/about-ifpa/our-cause.

[vi] IFPA | Psoriasis and Beyond: The global psoriatic disease study. https://ifpa-pso.com/projects/psoriasis-and-beyond.

[vii] Dowlatshahi, E. A., Wakkee, M., Arends, L. R. & Nijsten, T. The prevalence and odds of depressive symptoms and clinical depression in psoriasis pa­tients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 134, 1542–1551 (2014).

[viii] Fleming, P. et al. The prevalence of anxiety in patients with psoriasis: a systematic review of observational studies and clinical trials. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology vol. 31 798–807 (2017).

[ix] Health & Happiness Foundation & Happiness Research Institute. World psoriasis happiness report 2017. https:// ifpa-pso.com/resources-tools/world-psoriasis-happiness-report-2017 (2017).

[x] Warren, R. B., Kleyn, C. E. & Gulliver, W. P. Cumulative life course impairment in psoriasis: Patient perception of disease-related impairment throughout the life course. British Journal of Dermatology 164, 1–14 (2011).

[xi] Canadian Psoriasis Network, Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients & Unmasking Psoriasis. Working it Out - A report on the experiences of people with psoriatic disease in the Canadian workplace. https:// www.canadianpsoriasisnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WPD_Full-report_EN_10282021_Final. pdf (2021).

[xii] Health & Happiness Foundation & Happiness Research Institute. World psoriasis happiness report 2018. https://ifpa-pso.com/resources-tools/world-psoriasis-happiness-report-2018 (2018).

[xiii] Armstrong, A. W., Schupp, C., Wu, J. & Bebo, B. Quality of Life and Work Productivity Impairment among Psoriasis Patients: Findings from the National Psoriasis Foundation Survey Data 2003-2011. PLoS ONE 7, (2012).

[xiv] McBride, S. R. et al. Impact of psoriatic disease on women aged 18 to 45: Results from a multinational survey across 11 European countries. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology 7, 697–707 (2021).

[xv] Ayala, F. et al. The impact of psoriasis on work-related problems: A multicenter cross-sectional survey. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 28, 1623–1632 (2014).

^[xvi]   Chandran, V., and S.P. Raychaudhuri. 2010. 'Geoepidemiology and environmental factors of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis', J. Autoimmune, 34: J314-J21

^[xvii] Schafer, T. 2006. 'Epidemiology of psoriasis. Review and the German perspective', Dermatology, 212: 327-37