Honoring National Women’s Health Week

Sunday marked the beginning of National Women’s Health Week, an annual observance led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women's Health. HHS’s message of empowering women to make their health a priority is a powerful one, and one that we take seriously at Mylan.

What’s remarkable is that the public dialogue around women’s health has only just begun. We know, unfortunately, that women are at a higher risk of facing a range of potential health concerns. Not only that, but certain diseases also can manifest themselves very differently in men than women. It wasn’t until the past couple of decades that there was an acknowledgement by regulatory bodies, government agencies and the scientific community that women were not adequately enrolled in clinical trials. We are now scratching the surface on how the biological differences between men and women can have a meaningful impact on how diseases affect the two sexes.

Take heart disease, for example. The American Heart Association estimates that more than 44 million women are affected by cardiovascular disease. It’s the leading cause of death among women in the U.S., yet women often overlook the symptoms of a heart attack because they can be subtler – like shortness of breath, dizziness or even upper back pressure.

Another startling statistic is the prevalence of cancer among women. According to the American Cancer Society, it’s estimated that one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

National Women’s Health Week is an important opportunity to reflect on how we can be more informed about the unique health needs of women and take steps to improve our health, which is why I appreciate the following steps provided by HHS:

• Visit a doctor or nurse for a well-woman visit (checkup) and preventive screenings,
• get active,
• eat healthy,
• pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress, and
• avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking.

For our part as a global healthcare and leading generics company, we are proud to celebrate #NWHW and support women in managing their health across all the stages of their lives. We are dedicated to providing access to high quality medicines that address a range of health concerns highly prevalent among women.

Visit mylan.com to learn more about our commitment to women’s health.