Orion Corporation                                  Press release  4 January 2019 at 9.00 a.m.

Orion Corporation and Fifth Corner Inc join forces to research solutions for improving the quality of life of prostate cancer patients

Orion Corporation, a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company, and Fifth Corner Inc., a Finnish startup developing scalable digital coaching solutions, have initiated a collaborative research project to seek for new innovative solutions to help prostate cancer patients manage the stress caused by the devastating disease they have. The focus of the research is specifically aimed at finding new ideas and ways to improve the quality of life of the patients as well as understanding how the physical and mental stress that the patients are facing could be alleviated.

"The collaboration between Orion Corporation and Fifth Corner Inc kicked off from Orion's open innovation challenge facilitated by Vertical earlier in 2018. Ultimately the goal of this collaboration is to support patients living as active, normal and happy lives as possible. 'Before jumping into conclusions or developing any solutions, we really want to understand first what the prostate cancer patients are like. "We respect patients as individuals and want to create solutions that are specifically designed for them, appreciating their dreams and their needs", says Satu Ahomäki, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Orion.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. It usually progresses slowly and in most cases the patient does not die because of it. In other words, the patient may live with the disease for very long and experience both physical and mental stress in the different phases of treatment. In some cases the medical assessment may be that it's best to only follow up the progress without any treatments because the cancer is growing so slowly. However, research shows this approach can be even more stressful for the patient than getting treatment. Studies have also found that patients experience more anxiety and depression after treatment than during it. It's clear that prostate cancer patients need support no matter what their prognosis or treatment plan is.

Further information:

Satu Ahomäki, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Orion Corporation
Tel. +358 (0)50 966 7616

Publisher:
Orion Corporation
Communications
Orionintie 1A, FI-02200 Espoo, Finland
www.orion.fi

Orion is a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company - a builder of well-being. Orion develops, manufactures and markets human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company is continuously developing new drugs and treatment methods. The core therapy areas of Orion's pharmaceutical R&D are central nervous system (CNS) disorders, oncology and respiratory diseases for which Orion develops inhaled Easyhaler® pulmonary drugs. Orion's net sales in 2017 amounted to EUR 1,034 million and the company had about 3,200 employees. Orion's A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki