Educational epilepsy game rewarded for making a difference across the world

Brussels, BELGIUM, 14 October, 2008

A fun, interactive board game which improves awareness of epilepsy and helps children feel more confident in talking about their condition has won two prizes, including the top award category, at a recent pharmaceutical public relations and medical education awards event.

Action Zone!™, which was developed by UCB and patient advocacy group the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), was awarded the Best International PR Campaign and overall Campaign of the Year at the 2008 Communiqué Awards ceremony held in London last month.

Susanne Lund, President of the IBE, said with 50 million people living with epilepsy across the world, educational initiatives like Action Zone!™ were important in improving the knowledge of both people with epilepsy and the general public.

"IBE sees the game as being effective in reducing prejudice and misconceptions about epilepsy," Susanne Lund said.

"The response by our members around the world has been fantastic. Action Zone!™ is now being played in schools, clinics and hospitals, in family homes and at awareness-raising events by children with epilepsy, their families, friends and carers, in countries as far apart as Brazil and China, Sierra Leone and Australia, Canada and Mauritius.

"The project also falls within IBE's vision of a world where fear and ignorance about epilepsy are replaced by understanding and care."

Action Zone!™ was developed from an idea first suggested by Olympic medallist and world-record cyclist Marion Clignet. Ms Clignet, who has epilepsy, takes part in a UCB sponsored program through which people living with epilepsy share their personal stories to encourage understanding about epilepsy and living well with the condition.

"Just like training for cycling races, I´ve worked hard to overcome obstacles associated with living with epilepsy," Marion Clignet said.

"I am proud that this game has encouraged children across the world who have epilepsy to speak more openly about the condition, as well as assisting in tackling the global stigma, fear and misunderstanding surrounding epilepsy." Action Zone!™ was launched in 2007 and is designed for children aged five years and over, for those with epilepsy and those who do not have epilepsy. It has been translated into 17 languages and 46,000 games have been distributed to 30 countries, with more than half a million people having played the game.
"What started as a small project has grown into a worldwide initiative that has benefited people with epilepsy and their families across the globe," said Ursula Davis, Global Patient Care Manager, UCB, Brussels.

"These awards are a welcome recognition of the work invested in this project by all involved and will hopefully help to bring awareness of epilepsy to an even broader audience."

About Epilepsy: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting 50 million people worldwide. It is caused by abnormal, excessive electrical discharges of the nerve cells or neurons in the brain. Epilepsy is characterised by a tendency to have recurrent seizures and defined by two or more unprovoked seizures. There are many different seizure types and epileptic syndromes and effective classification guides treatment and prognosis.

About UCB's live Beyond Epilepsy Programme: Action Zone!™ is part of the UCB's live Beyond Epilepsy awareness and educational initiative. The programme aims to empower people with epilepsy and to improve public perceptions and understanding of the condition.

How to Play Action Zone!™: Children can play individually or in teams so the game can be played at home with brothers and sisters, at school or in the epilepsy clinic. Players take turns to move around the board towards the brain. Depending on the square they land on, they answer questions about epilepsy and learn interesting "factoids" about the body. They receive tokens for correctly answered questions about epilepsy, and the person who has the most tokens when the brain is reached, wins the game.

Further information
For more information on Action Zone!™ please contact Ann Little of the International Bureau for Epilepsy.
IBE Details
Ane Little, IBE
T + 35.3.1210.8850, ibedublin@eircom.net

UCB
Eimear O'Brien,
Global CNS Communications Manager,
UCB Group
T +32.2.559.9271,
Eimear.OBrien@ucb.com

About the IBE
The IBE is an organisation of laypersons and professionals interested in the medical and non-medical aspects of epilepsy. The IBE addresses such social problems as education, employment, insurance, driving licence restrictions and public awareness.
www.ibe-epilepsy.org

About UCB UCB (Brussels, Belgium, www.ucb.com) is a global leader in the biopharmaceutical industry dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative medicines with focus on the fields of central nervous system and immunology disorders.

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