The “Merc With a Mouth” is using his voice for good. Amid a whirlwind global press tour for the new “Deadpool & Wolverine” movie, Ryan Reynolds has stepped out of the spandex suit to join forces with Acadia Pharmaceuticals to raise awareness about lesser-known symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The newly formed team of Reynolds, his mother Tammy and Acadia—like the X-Men, but different—serve as the basis of the “More to Parkinson’s” campaign that the drugmaker unveiled Wednesday. It’s aimed at improving both awareness of and education around the hallucinations and delusions that affect many Parkinson’s patients but are often not recognized as being connected to the disease.
According to data cited by Acadia, around half of all people diagnosed with Parkinson’s may experience these non-motor symptoms but, currently, as many as 90% aren’t proactively reporting them to their doctors. The campaign will target patients, caregivers and doctors, providing information about ways to talk about and treat the symptoms.
Reynolds has a personal tie to the condition: His father, Jim, had Parkinson’s and encountered non-motor symptoms before his death in 2015.
“My father experienced hallucinations and delusions. At the time, we didn’t know any of these types of symptoms were part of his Parkinson’s disease,” Reynolds said in Wednesday’s announcement. “Like a lot of caregivers, my mom mostly tried to carry these burdens alone.”
He continued, “I wish I’d known Parkinson’s disease wasn’t limited to only motor symptoms. I think people and families affected by Parkinson’s can be better prepared to manage hallucinations and delusions if they’re talking early and often about this lesser-known aspect of the disease.”
At the core of the campaign will be a series of stories from Reynolds and his mother about their experiences with Jim’s Parkinson’s diagnosis and symptoms—speaking from their multifaceted roles throughout that period as a son and caregiver, and wife, mother and caregiver, respectively.
The campaign’s videos, discussion guides and other content will address Parkinson’s-related hallucinations and delusions from many angles, with information about what the symptoms look like, who they affect, how to discuss them with doctors and more. The content will be available on the dedicated More to Parkinson’s website and will also target the broader Parkinson’s disease community via digital media, social media and connected TV.
“There is a significant gap in awareness and understanding that hallucinations and delusions can be part of the progression of Parkinson’s disease,” Acadia CEO Steve Davis said in the release. “As Ryan’s family story makes evident, the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, including hallucinations and delusions, are often more distressing and disruptive than the motor symptoms associated with the disease. We are honored that Ryan and Tammy are willing to share their powerful story. Their experiences will open the door to desperately needed conversation and encourage people to speak with their healthcare providers about managing these symptoms.”
Among the available treatments for the symptoms is Acadia’s own Nuplazid, which in 2016 became the first drug approved by the FDA specifically to treat hallucinations and delusions linked to Parkinson’s.
In the years since, Acadia has repeatedly attempted to snag an expanded label for the drug to treat psychosis associated with other neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia, but came up short each time. That string of setbacks culminated earlier this year, following a failed phase 3 trial in schizophrenia, in Davis’ sharing that the company no longer intends “to conduct any further clinical trials” of the drug.
This news item came from: https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/acadia-gets-deadpool-hype-parkinsons-campaign-starring-ryan-reynolds
