Agios Recognizes 14th Annual Rare Disease Day and Raises Awareness of Unmet Needs in Rare Hemolytic Anemias

– In Partnership with the Sickle Cell Community Consortium, Agios Works to Address Educational Resource Gaps Caused by COVID-19 for Students with Sickle Cell Disease –

– Company to Host Facebook Live Discussion with Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency Patient, Caregiver and Key Opinion Leader Today at 2 p.m. ET –

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGIO), a leader in the field of cellular metabolism to treat cancer and genetically defined diseases, today announced its support for the 14^th annual Rare Disease Day, a global awareness campaign for the more than 300 million people living with a rare disease worldwide.

“Patients are central to everything we do at Agios, and we are proud to join with patients, advocates, caregivers, clinicians and industry colleagues around the world to support Rare Disease Day,” said Jackie Fouse, Ph.D., chief executive officer at Agios. “We strive to work closely with patient communities, understanding their perspectives and cultivating true partnerships. In honor of Rare Disease Day, we are collaborating with the PK deficiency, thalassemia and sickle cell disease communities to advance important initiatives designed to raise awareness and address needs faced by people living with these hemolytic anemias.”

Throughout the month of February, the Agios team raised funds for the Sickle Cell Community Consortium (SCCC) COVID-19 relief fund. Following a series of sickle cell disease community meetings and surveys organized by the SCCC, patients and caregivers identified areas where they most need support as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The community identified a critical need for better educational resources for students with sickle cell disease who are learning in remote or hybrid environments. The funds raised by Agios help address this gap by providing tablets, printers, online tools, access to tutors and other resources for these students.

“We are living through the first global pandemic in any of our lifetimes, and every aspect of life has changed, including the way students are expected to learn. In this new environment, many students impacted by sickle cell disease are falling behind from both health concerns and insufficient access to resources and support. Without equalizing resources and support, the education system is no longer grading children’s ability to learn, but instead, is judging their access to resources and grading their privilege. In the ‘land of plenty,’ this is not acceptable,” said Lakiea Bailey, Ph.D., executive director of the SCCC. “Our children are intelligent, hardworking, talented and capable of great educational achievement. We are grateful to the Agios team for their support to ensure that children and teens living with sickle cell disease have equal access to the resources they need to achieve their educational goals.”