Teva Canada Provides New Patient Resource to Empower Those Living with Chronic Conditions

Life Effects™ website features real-life stories from patients and  caregivers about the reality of living with one or more chronic conditions

Toronto, Ontario (June 8, 2021) – Building on its intention to improve the lives of Canadians, Teva Canada Limited, a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, is pleased to announce the launch of Life Effects, a peer-to-peer support platform for patients living with one or more chronic conditions and those who care for them.  The initiative was developed to create a one-stop platform of resources and connection through authentic, real-life stories that offer information, insight, and inspiration about the lived experience. Through Life Effects, people can explore a mix of patient-centric articles, videos and podcasts created by others who have the same condition and are on the same journey, confident that all content has been reviewed by medical experts prior to publishing.

Life Effects was developed after extensive research from more than 13,500 patients globally. 01 While patients naturally sought diagnosis and treatment from physicians and other healthcare professionals, patients identified that there wasn’t a central resource they could access daily when it came to living with a chronic condition. 02  Through their knowledge and experience and the identity of an unmet need, Life Effects was created.

Life Effects is shaped by patients, for patients as Teva Canada recognizes that the only people who truly understand what it’s like to live with chronic illness are those who have for years faced the same challenges. Their advice is especially meaningful and inspiring to patients and their caregivers, recognizing that words from someone who’s been there are the most powerful of all.  A long-term chronic patient’s needs go far beyond fully understanding the diagnosis and the biology of the condition itself. They not only want to know how their condition impacts their life today and tomorrow – but also need to know, from lived experience, what practical steps they can take to help them cope on a day-to-day basis.

“There is a wealth of information on the Internet about diseases and treatments,” said Christine Poulin, Teva Canada’s General Manager. “However, finding trustworthy information on how to live with a chronic illness is more complex. People need both practical and emotional support as they navigate the unknowns of coping with an ongoing health condition. Life Effects answers this unmet need by connecting those living with chronic illnesses with an accessible outlet for shared experiences, community and support and more importantly, one that’s been vetted by medical experts.”

There are currently nine health topics on Teva Canada’s Life Effects website with over 35 patient and caregiver contributors sharing their credible perspectives. Health topics include: anxiety, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular, caregiving, COPD, depression, migraine, and multiple sclerosis. New stories are posted to the Life Effects site regularly to encourage ongoing connection. Contributors share their own social media platforms to broaden the interaction.

Examples of the content on Life Effects are:
 

• Bryce Evan’s "What to Say to Someone Who’s Struggling with Depression"
  
  
• Claire Eastham’s "How to ‘Come Out’ to a Loved One About Your Anxiety"
  
  
• Daisy Swaffer’s "Maintaining Friendships with Chronic Migraine”
  
  
• Alice May Purkiss’ "How Cancer Changed Me as a Person"
  
  
• Marc Lawrence’s "4 Ways Caregivers Must Adjust to the ‘New Normal’ in Isolation"
  
  
• Jeff Breece’s "Surviving a Heart Attack and Learning How to Live Again"
  
  
• Barbara Moore’s "7 Ways to Handle Unwanted Advice on COPD"
  
  
• Kamilah Howard’s "Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep with Asthma"

“Life Effects provides advice, tips and stories on common challenges,” said Sarah Alexander, disability and lifestyle blogger, freelance writer and Life Effects contributor. “It might be the challenge of starting a new job or the struggle to get out of bed each day; the support shared through the Life Effects platform will give back a sense of community to those who may feel forgotten, or perhaps lost, during this time.”

The content on Life Effects is non-promotional and avoids mention of treatment or classes of treatment. Stories are vetted by medical experts prior to publishing and provide the personal perspectives of patients and caregivers from around the world. Life Effects brings together contributors across seven countries, and with the launch in Canada, content is now available in 14 markets (in 12 different languages). Though some details may not be relevant to the Canadian healthcare system, the contributors’ lived experiences, feelings and perspectives are relevant and universal no matter where a person lives.

For more information, visit: TevaCanada.com/LifeEffects

Watch the inspirational Notes of Hope video – Reminding us of the power of shared experience: TevaCanada.com.

About Teva Canada

Teva Canada, headquartered in Toronto, has provided affordable healthcare solutions to Canadians for over 50 years, building their trust one prescription at a time with now more than 192,000 03 prescriptions filled each day with our products, representing 1 of every 5 generic prescriptions in Canada. 04 Originally Novopharm Limited, Teva Canada specializes in the development, production, and marketing of high-quality generic prescription pharmaceuticals and, through our branded division, focuses on a diverse line of speciality and biopharmaceutical products in a variety of therapeutic areas such as central nervous system (CNS), respiratory, oncology and rheumatology. Teva Canada’s commitment to helping improve the lives of Canadians also extends to the Teva Caregiver program – providing tools and resources for Canadians navigating the care journey.  Teva Canada employs more than 900 professionals, had sales of nearly $1.1 billion 05 in 2020, and markets more than 360 06 products in over 840 SKU 06 in Canada. We are a proud subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Learn more at www.tevacanada.com.

About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve people’s lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.
 

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