Cooking Demonstration for Local Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Press Release Source: Shire Pharmaceuticals

Katie Lee Joel to Conduct Cooking Demonstration for Local Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Friday August 31, 8:00 am ET
Celebrity Chef Shares 'Kidney- and Diabetes-Friendly' Recipes at the 34th Annual American Association of Kidney Patients Meeting

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Celebrity chef Katie Lee Joel and Shire Pharmaceuticals today announced that Katie will be conducting a cooking demonstration at the 34th Annual American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) Convention in St. Louis, Mo. this afternoon for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). During the demonstration, Katie will demonstrate to patients and their family members how to cook recipes from Shire's 2007 edition of the Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods cookbook. Additionally, attendees will be able to sample some of Katie's recipes, as well as receive a complimentary copy of the new cookbook, which will be available for free after the event by visiting www.FOSRENOL.com or by calling (866) 896-6152.

Kidney disease is an issue close to Katie's heart because her grandfather was a dialysis patient for several years. Although the family was worried about his health, her grandfather was more concerned with the restrictions the condition put on his diet. To help keep him healthy and happy, Katie and her grandmother adapted many of their family's traditional recipes so that Katie's grandfather and the rest of the family could still eat the meals that they loved together.

"I know how difficult managing kidney disease can be, which is why I was so excited to contribute my recipes to Shire's second volume of the Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods cookbook," said Katie. "Through this cookbook and today's demonstration, I want to show patients that cooking kidney- and diabetes-friendly foods is not a sentence to boring food, and that these tasty meals can be enjoyed by the entire family."

Katie will be demonstrating two of her kidney- and diabetes-friendly recipes at the AAKP meeting today from 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (CDT). During the event, two lucky audience members will be chosen to help Katie prepare these two dishes, featured in the Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods, Volume II cookbook, which are appropriate for patients on dialysis, as well as those with diabetes. In addition to the cooking demonstration, attendees also will hear from nephrologist William F. Finn, M.D., who will discuss managing CKD Stage 5 with a combination of diet, dialysis and phosphate-binder therapy, and renal dietitian and diabetes educator Marianne Hutton, who will provide kidney- and diabetes-friendly dietary tips. Through the cooking demonstration and educational program, Katie and these experts will show patients on dialysis - including those who also have diabetes - and their caregivers that they can still enjoy delicious foods, even on a modified diet.

"My dialysis patients are always struggling to manage their diets, which is even more challenging for those who also have diabetes and are subject to additional dietary modifications than those with CKD alone. I was delighted to have the opportunity to participate in the Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods program," said Marianne. "The new cookbook and this event are valuable resources that can help patients take an active role in managing their conditions, while offering tasty, appropriate recipes the entire family can enjoy."

Chronic kidney disease is a growing problem in the United States. In fact, approximately 20 million Americans have some form of kidney disease and almost 500,000 have developed CKD Stage 5 - the most severe form of kidney disease - and require dialysis. Nearly half of newly diagnosed kidney patients on dialysis developed the disease because of diabetes.

It is important for people with CKD Stage 5 to follow a low phosphorus diet, because most dialysis patients will develop hyperphosphatemia (high serum phosphorus levels in the blood). Excess phosphorus in the blood can be associated with serious consequences, including mineral deposits in the heart and blood vessels, bone disease and even death. Because phosphorus is found in so many foods, patients often cannot reach target blood phosphorus levels through dietary restriction and dialysis alone, and they generally treat hyperphosphatemia by taking phosphate binders, such as FOSRENOL® (lanthanum carbonate), at meals and snacks. Phosphate binders "soak up" phosphorus in the gastrointestinal tract before it can be absorbed into the blood, thereby helping patients maintain target blood phosphorus levels.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to patients with CKD Stage 5, Shire is developing several resources to help patients and their families overcome the challenges associated with following a kidney-friendly diet. Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods, Volume II and today's cooking demonstration are just two of many tools Shire is offering the CKD Stage 5 community this year to help patients better manage their health," said Joseph Schlitz, Shire, Vice President, U.S. Renal Commercial Operations.

Hyperphosphatemia is a difficult condition to treat because it requires patients to follow a special diet, attend dialysis sessions and comply with a prescribed binder therapy regimen that may require up to 12 pills a day. However, patients with hyperphosphatemia may be able to reduce their pill burden to as few as one tablet with each meal with treatments such as FOSRENOL. (Dosing based on as few as three tablets per day. Number of meals per day may vary. To achieve certain doses, additional tablets may be required.)

To obtain your free copy of the 2007 Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods, Volume II: Eating Well for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients, Including Those With Diabetes cookbook, please visit www.FOSRENOL.com or call (866) 896-6152.

About Katie Lee Joel

Katie is currently writing her first cookbook, to be published next year by Simon and Schuster. The book is a compilation of updated classics from her archive of family recipes using the best seasonal ingredients. Katie regularly appears on Extra as a special correspondent, covering everything from red carpet events to food to fashion. Katie is a contributing editor to Gotham magazine, and her culinary and lifestyle column, Katie's Kitchen, is published weekly in its sister magazine, Hamptons.

Katie was the first season host of Bravo's hit "Top Chef," a reality competition series for the culinary arts. In July 2005, with partner Aleishall Girard, Katie co-created the Web site www.oliveandpeach.com, a site dedicated to food and the importance of "conscious consumption." She resides in the New York area with her husband, musician Billy Joel.

About the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)

AAKP is a voluntary patient organization, which, for more than 35 years, has been dedicated to improving the lives of fellow kidney patients and their families by helping them deal with the physical, emotional and social impact of kidney disease.

The programs offered by AAKP inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition and adjust more readily to their circumstances.

FOSRENOL®

FOSRENOL is indicated to reduce serum phosphate in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).

FOSRENOL is an effective, non-calcium, phosphate binder that reduces high phosphorus levels in ESRD patients. FOSRENOL is formulated as an easy-to-use, unflavored, chewable-only tablet that can be taken without water, an important consideration for ESRD patients who must restrict their fluid intake.

FOSRENOL is available in a broad range of dosage strengths, including the 500-milligram (mg), 750-mg and 1-gram (g) tablets. Patients taking FOSRENOL can achieve serum phosphorus target levels with as few as three tablets per day. (Dosing based on three meals per day. Number of meals per day may vary. To achieve certain doses, additional tablets may be required.)

FOSRENOL works by binding to dietary phosphorus in the gastrointestinal tract. Once bound, the FOSRENOL/phosphorus complex cannot pass into the bloodstream and is eliminated from the body, thereby decreasing mean serum phosphorus levels.

FOSRENOL has been clinically tested in more than 5,200 patients. Nearly 1,000 patients have been prescribed lanthanum carbonate for more than one year. Over 76,000 patients have been prescribed FOSRENOL. The long-term safety profile of FOSRENOL shows no evidence of toxicity at clinical doses. Trials involving patients treated with FOSRENOL showed sustained serum phosphorus reduction in a majority of patients.

Important Safety Information

The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, such as nausea and vomiting, and generally abated over time with continued dosing. The most common side effects leading to discontinuation in clinical trials were gastrointestinal events (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea). Other side effects reported in trials included dialysis graft complications, headache, abdominal pain and hypotension. Although studies were not designed to detect differences in risk of fracture and mortality, there were no differences demonstrated in patients treated with FOSRENOL compared to alternative therapy for up to three years. The duration of treatment exposure and time of observation in the clinical program were too short to conclude that FOSRENOL does not affect the risk of fracture or mortality beyond three years. While lanthanum has been shown to accumulate in the GI tract, liver, and bone in animals, the clinical significance in humans is unknown. Patients with acute peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or bowel obstruction were not included in FOSRENOL clinical studies. Caution should be used in patients with these conditions. FOSRENOL should not be taken by patients who are nursing or pregnant. FOSRENOL should not be taken by patients who are under 18 years of age.

Please see attached Full Prescribing Information or visit www.fosrenol.com.

SHIRE PLC

Shire's strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shire focuses its business on attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT), gastrointestinal (GI) and renal diseases. The structure is sufficiently flexible to allow Shire to target new therapeutic areas to the extent opportunities arise through acquisitions. Shire believes that a carefully selected portfolio of products with a strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales force will deliver strong results.

Shire's focused strategy is to develop and market products for specialty physicians. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in niche markets with strong intellectual property protection either in the US or Europe.

For further information on Shire, please visit the Company's website: www.shire.com.

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