GBT Establishes The GBT Foundation to Improve the Health and Well-being of Underserved Patient Communities Around the World

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT) (NASDAQ: GBT) announced the launch of The GBT Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization and source of charitable giving that will work to improve the health and well-being of underserved patient communities around the world. As GBT recognizes its 10th anniversary this year, the company has established The GBT Foundation to fund programs that will support people within the sickle cell disease (SCD) community and beyond through education, empowerment, improved healthcare access and enhanced health equity.

“Giving back to the community has been woven into GBT as a company since our founding a decade ago – guided by a belief in every person having an equal chance to reach their full health potential,” said Ted W. Love, M.D., president and CEO of GBT. “As an extension of our mission and corporate giving, The GBT Foundation will provide more opportunities to make a difference by helping to address the needs of patient populations who have been disenfranchised and left behind, like people living with sickle cell disease.”

The GBT Foundation will fund programs from nonprofit organizations around the world that have the potential to create meaningful and sustainable change, and is currently accepting grant proposals in four core areas of focus:

• Increasing SCD education and awareness for communities impacted by SCD to build knowledge of the devastating physical, social, mental and societal effects of this genetic blood disorder.
• Empowering people with SCD, caregivers and others in the SCD community to help improve the lives and care of the community.
• Improving accessto healthcare in SCD to help those living with SCD receive the high-quality health services they need and deserve.
• Enhancing health equity through innovative and sustainable solutions that help vulnerable communities have the chance to reach their full health potential without social obstacles.

Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information about The GBT Foundation and to learn about the areas of focus and eligibility requirements, visit www.gbt.com/gbtfoundation.

About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States,¹ an estimated 52,000 people in Europe,² and millions of people throughout the world, particularly among those whose ancestors are from sub-Saharan Africa.¹ It also affects people of Hispanic, South Asian, Southern European and Middle Eastern ancestry.¹ SCD is a lifelong inherited rare blood disorder that impacts hemoglobin, a protein carried by red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues and organs throughout the body.³ Due to a genetic mutation, individuals with SCD form abnormal hemoglobin known as sickle hemoglobin. Through a process called hemoglobin polymerization, red blood cells become sickled – deoxygenated, crescent-shaped and rigid.^3-5 The sickling process causes hemolytic anemia (low hemoglobin due to red blood cell destruction) and blockages in capillaries and small blood vessels, which impede the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body. The diminished oxygen delivery to tissues and organs can lead to life-threatening complications, including stroke and irreversible organ damage.^4-7

About The GBT Foundation
Founded in 2021, The GBT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, primarily funded by Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT). Building on GBT’s corporate giving commitment, The GBT Foundation is a community-focused, charitable entity that is committed to improving health equity worldwide, particularly for people living with SCD. The GBT Foundation is a separate legal entity from GBT. To learn more, please visit www.gbt.com/gbtfoundation.

About Global Blood Therapeutics
Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of life-changing treatments that provide hope to underserved patient communities. Founded in 2011, GBT is delivering on its goal to transform the treatment and care of sickle cell disease (SCD), a lifelong, devastating inherited blood disorder. The company has introduced Oxbryta^® (voxelotor) tablets, the first FDA-approved treatment that directly inhibits sickle hemoglobin polymerization, the root cause of red blood cell sickling in SCD. GBT is also advancing its pipeline program in SCD with inclacumab, a P-selectin inhibitor in development to address pain crises associated with the disease, and GBT021601 (GBT601), the company’s next-generation hemoglobin S polymerization inhibitor. In addition, GBT’s drug discovery teams are working on new targets to develop the next wave of treatments for SCD. To learn more, please visit www.gbt.com and follow the company on Twitter @GBT_news.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/data.html. Accessed June 3, 2019.
2. European Medicines Agency. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/orphan-designations/eu3182125. Accessed June 12, 2020.
3. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Sickle Cell Disease. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sickle-cell-disease. Accessed August 5, 2019.
4. Rees DC, et al. Lancet. 2010;376(9757):2018-2031.
5. Kato GJ, et al. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2018;4:18010.
6. Kato GJ, et al. J Clin Invest. 2017;127(3):750-760. 
7. Caboot JB, et al. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2014;15(1):17-23.
   

Contact:
Steven Immergut (media)
+1.650.410.3258
simmergut@gbt.com

Courtney Roberts (investors)
+1.650.351.7881
croberts@gbt.com

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