Parsippany Company Donates $1 Million to Fertility Charity

Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Parsippany based company, recently announced they will donate $1 million to the Alliance for Fertility Preservation (the Alliance), a newly formed non-profit charitable organization.

“The Alliance helps to promote the education of patients diagnosed with cancer to enable them to make the best informed decisions regarding fertility preservation options prior to commencement of treatment and to better understand potential opportunities to help manage infertility after treatment,” the company said in a written statement.

According to their website, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven biopharmaceutical company devoted to identifying, developing and marketing innovative products in the fields of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and osteoarthritis.

Over 70,000 women in their twenties and thirties are diagnosed with various forms of cancer each year and less than half of cancer survivors of childbearing age recalled having a discussion of fertility or the effects their treatment might have on their future fertility upon being diagnosed with cancer, the company said, citing recent studies.

"As cancer survival rates increase, more and more patients need to consider their life after treatment, including how they might build or expand their family," said Joy Lewin, Director of Ferring's reproductive health unit. "Unfortunately, when faced with the overwhelming decisions surrounding their cancer diagnosis, future fertility is not top of mind."

“We believe it's imperative to drive a better dialogue between healthcare providers and patients, which is why Ferring is supporting the Alliance in meeting this unmet need,” she added.

Ferrings donation will help the Alliance to facilitate communication between patients and health care providers, work with healthcare systems to ensure they are equipped to provide patients with current and accurate information about fertility preservation and help to promote research in the field.

"Building on the American Society of Clinical Oncology's guidelines, the Alliance will work to identify different ways to assist physicians within different communities to help them educate their patients about fertility preservation and to provide support which enables patients to make informed decisions about their fertility options," said John Mulhall, M.D., Chairman of the Alliance for Fertility Preservation and urologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.