Maroon 5 Lead Singer Adam Levine Raises Awareness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Adults and Adults With "Own It"

Maroon 5 Lead Singer Adam Levine Raises Awareness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Adults and Adults With "Own It"

New National Campaign Focuses On How ADHD May Continue Into Young Adulthood

PHILADELPHIA, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5, is helping to raise awareness among young adults and adults about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through a new national education campaign called "Own It" that launched today. The campaign, supported by two patient advocacy groups and made possible by Shire, aims to motivate young adults and adults who were previously diagnosed with ADHD to take charge of their health by speaking with their doctor and getting reassessed if their symptoms - inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity - are still impacting them.

"I was diagnosed with ADHD by my doctor when I was a teenager," said Adam Levine. "As I got older, I thought my ADHD had gone away. Eventually, I realized it was something that was still there. I was able to work with my doctor to help manage my ADHD symptoms. This campaign is important to me because it can help young adults and adults realize that there's a chance they may still have ADHD if they had it as a kid."

This educational campaign is further supported by online and print awareness raising efforts. Levine shares his personal experience with ADHD and encourages young adults and adults to take a quiz at www.OwnYourADHD.com to help recognize the ADHD symptoms - inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity - and then talk with their doctor.( )

The "Own It" campaign is endorsed by the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), two organizations committed to raising awareness of ADHD.

The leaders of CHADD and ADDA released the following joint statement: "There is a common perception among many young adults and adults that you can outgrow the ADHD you were diagnosed with as a child or adolescent. However, it is important for them to understand that this is not always the case and that the disorder can continue into adulthood. The symptoms may even present differently. We commend Adam Levine for sharing his personal story and hope it will inspire others previously diagnosed with ADHD as a kid to take an online quiz and talk with their doctor about how ADHD symptoms may be affecting them as a young adult or adult."

About ADDA

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) is the world's leading adult ADHD organization. Their mission is to provide information, resources and networking opportunities to help adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) lead better lives. Since its inception over 20 years ago, ADDA has grown to become the source for information and resources exclusively for and about the adult ADHD community. To learn more, visit ADDA online at www.add.org.

About CHADD

CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a national non-profit organization serving individuals with AD/HD and their families. CHADD has over 16,000 members in over 200 local chapters throughout the United States. Chapters offer support for individuals, parents, teachers, professionals, and others. To learn more, visit CHADD online at www.chadd.org.

About ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric behavioral disorder that presents itself as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.

ADHD is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders. In the United States, approximately 9.5 percent of all school-age children have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives as reported by parents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disorder is also estimated to affect 4.4 percent of US adults aged 18 to 44 based on results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. When this percentage is extrapolated to the full US population aged 18 and over, approximately 10 million adults are believed to have ADHD.

The specific etiology of ADHD is unknown, and there is no single diagnostic test for this disorder.( ) Adequate diagnosis requires the use of medical and special psychological, educational, and social resources, utilizing diagnostic criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR(®)) or International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision(ICD-10).

Although there is no cure for ADHD, there are accepted treatments that have been demonstrated to improve symptoms. Standard treatments include educational approaches, psychological therapies, which may include behavioral modification, and/or medication.

For further information please contact:

Media
Matthew Cabrey
mcabrey@shire.com +1 484 595 8248

Cori Blair (Porter
Novelli for Shire)
cori.blair@porternovelli.com +1 212 601 8248

Evelyn Green (ADDA)
info@add.org +1 800 939 1019

Susan Buningh (CHADD)
Susan_Buningh@chadd.org +1 301 306 7070 x102

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 hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT) and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights. Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.

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

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Statements included herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties materialize, the Company's results could be materially adversely affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the inherent uncertainty of research, development, approval, reimbursement, manufacturing and commercialization of the Company's Specialty Pharmaceutical and Human Genetic Therapies products, as well as the ability to secure and integrate new products for commercialization and/or development; government regulation of the Company's products; the Company's ability to manufacture its products in sufficient quantities to meet demand; the impact of competitive therapies on the Company's products; the Company's ability to register, maintain and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights relating to its products; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain government and other third-party reimbursement for its products; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Shire plc

Shire plc

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