Genzyme, a Sanofi company, and the National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD) has created a fund to pay for standard diagnostic testing for people with mysterious, undiagnosed medical conditions. The fund will help those who have applied to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Programme, but who cannot afford the basic medical tests needed to make them eligible to participate in the NIH programme.

“While progress in scientific research has been very promising in recent years, millions of Americans who have rare diseases go for five years or longer without an accurate diagnosis,” said NORD president and CEO Peter L Saltonstall. “This delays treatment and creates enormous financial and emotional stress for patients and their families.”

Genzyme has been a longstanding partner of NORD, and the creation of the Genzyme/ NORD NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Fund is another way for Genzyme to support the rare disease community. The new fund is made possible in part by a team of Genzyme employees who run the Boston Marathon to raise funds for NORD services on behalf of all patients and families affected by rare diseases. Since 2008, members of the Genzyme Running Team have been paired with rare disease patient partners, and devote months before the Boston Marathon to training, raising awareness and fundraising.

“This initiative highlights the unmet need that still exists in helping patients with rare diseases find an accurate diagnosis,” said David Meeker, MD, president and CEO, Genzyme. “We are proud of the work of the Genzyme Running Team and are excited that their fundraising efforts will be focused on a program with such immediate and direct benefit for patients.”

In 2014, the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Programme will expand to include a network of major academic medical centres across the US. The Genzyme/ NORD NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Fund will support testing for patients applying to all clinical sites.

“We are grateful for the interest of Genzyme, NORD and the Genzyme Running Team in supporting the Undiagnosed Diseases Network,” said William Gahl, MD, director of the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Programme. “The UDP serves individuals and families who are desperately seeking a diagnosis after having exhausted all other avenues. We look forward to the expansion of the programme in 2014, and we feel that support for this standard testing will be an important source of assistance for patients and their families.”

The NIH UDP is the primary national resource for patients and their physicians who have exhausted other alternatives in seeking a diagnosis. Those accepted into the programme go to the NIH Clinical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland, where a multidisciplinary team of medical experts seeks to unravel the mystery and determine a diagnosis.

Patients applying for admission to UDP provide their medical history and medical test results. A team of NIH physicians then evaluates the medical tests for diagnostic clues. Due to limited resources, NIH only admits patients physicians think they can help, and only those patients with a baseline of preliminary medical tests are eligible for consideration into the programme.

NORD is a nonprofit organization to represent all individuals and families affected by rare diseases. It provides advocacy, education, support for research, and patient assistance programmes to improve the lives of the 30 million Americans living with rare diseases.

Genzyme has pioneered the development and delivery of transformative therapies for patients affected by rare and debilitating diseases and accomplished our goals through world-class research and with the compassion and commitment of our employees.

Sanofi, an integrated global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs.