AbbVie Awards 20 Individuals Living With Migraine To Support Career Aspirations

• AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award™ contest winners shared inspiring stories and professional goals, showcasing their triumphs over the challenges of living with migraine
• AbbVie, a leader in migraine treatment, is committed to addressing the impact of migraine in the workplace
• Nearly 40 million Americans are living with migraine, a debilitating neurological disease, and are more likely to call in sick due to symptoms associated with migraine.^1-2

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced 20 winners of the inaugural AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award™ contest, a first-of-its-kind contest designed to support the career aspirations of people living with migraine. The winning entries were selected from short essay, video, and audio clip submissions highlighting entrants’ experiences living with migraine, their career aspirations, and how this award could help support their future success.

The 20 winners represent a diverse range of professions, including engineers, scientists, teachers, park service employees, animal shelter workers, artists, and musicians. Beyond their professional roles, these individuals exemplify a rich diversity of life experiences—they are parents, grandparents, students, and caregivers who balance a variety of responsibilities while managing the challenges that migraine symptoms may present. Many have options from the significant advances in treatment in recent years, providing further opportunities to develop in their careers.

“Migraine impacted my life in ways that I hadn’t anticipated. I spent most of my career working in state parks, outdoor recreation, and tourism. However, the demands of public service combined with the unpredictability of migraine have made life incredibly challenging,” said Melissa from Davis, WV, 2024 AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award contest winner. “This award will allow me to create a mentorship program in my small town and share my experience and knowledge in outdoor recreation with the next generation, ensuring that they are better equipped to navigate the challenges of their careers with or without migraine.”

People living with migraine often face unique challenges in managing their careers¹ but these winners exemplify resilience and determination in pursuing their educational and career goals. The AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award™ recognizes their strength and aims to provide the necessary support to help them thrive in their chosen fields, highlighting that their ambitions extend well beyond the impact of migraine.  

“Migraine can significantly affect an individual’s career trajectory and long-term potential. Despite these challenges, the recipients of the inaugural AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award have shared their remarkable determination to overcome disease-related obstacles as they work toward their professional aspirations,” said Jag Dosanjh, senior vice president, AbbVie, and president, neuroscience and eye care. “As the only company with three treatment options that collectively address the entire spectrum of migraine, we have a deep understanding of the challenges that people living with migraine can face in the workplace, and we’re proud to support these individuals as they lead lives that transcend obstacles often imposed by the impact of the disease.”

Nearly 40 million Americans are living with migraine, a debilitating neurological disease, and are more likely to call in sick due to symptoms associated with migraine.^1-2 Over 113 million work days are lost each year in the U.S. due to migraine and related symptoms.¹ It is the second leading cause of disability worldwide³ with symptoms like severe headaches, nausea, and sensitivity to light often disrupting day-to-day activities,² making it difficult to maintain consistent performance at work or school.¹

Additional 2024 Migraine Career Catalyst Award contest winners on their experience:

• “As someone living with chronic migraine, it never fails to surprise me how often this condition is misunderstood. My migraine has allowed me to experience a greater depth of compassion and empathy for others, and has led to my passion for women’s health and social equity,” said Anjali from Washington, D.C. “[This award] will help me pursue law school so that I can dedicate my career towards advocating for healthcare providers and patients.”
• “As a mom of four with a fifth on the way, there’s so much going on that I don’t have time for my head to hurt. I work from home, but balancing work, my kids, and migraine is a daily struggle,” said Laura from Mount Juliet, TN. “Migraine doesn’t just affect me – it affects my whole family. [This award] means so much to me. I can finally set up a real working space to allow me to work more comfortably and efficiently, reducing the strain that contributes to my migraine in the first place.” 
• “I’ve been battling migraine for over a decade. I work in video production where bright lights are everywhere – that’s a real challenge,” said Walter from Lexington, KY. “I will use the award to get more training and acoustic foam treatment for my workspace to create a quiet work environment. This isn’t just about me. This is about showing that with the right support, people with migraine can thrive in their careers.”

To see the full list of winners, visit: https://www.migrainecareercatalyst.com/.

About AbbVie in Migraine

Migraine is more than a headache.⁴ Impacting 1 billion people around the world, migraine is a neurological disease that causes pain and debilitating symptoms.^4-8 Our science is helping healthcare providers to care for people across the spectrum of migraine. Through education and partnerships with the migraine community, we strive to help patients, and their families navigate barriers to care, access effective treatments and reduce the impact of migraine on their lives. We are dedicated to the pursuit of MIGRAINE FREEDOM™.

AbbVie is the only company with three prescription treatments designed to meet patient needs across the full spectrum of migraine to help patients living with this debilitating disease. At AbbVie, we are committed to empowering people living with migraine disease. We advance science that enables healthcare providers to care for people impacted across the spectrum of migraine.

About AbbVie

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

About the AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award™ Contest
AbbVie, a leader in migraine care, recognizes the unique challenges people with migraine face in their professional lives. The AbbVie Migraine Career Catalyst Award™ contest was created to support individuals affected by migraine in pursuing their career aspirations and managing the limitations that migraine can often impose.

Eligible U.S. residents aged 18 and older who have encountered work-related migraine challenges were invited to enter to win the contest by submitting an entry between June 3, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. ET and September 3, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Entrants were asked to submit a short essay (up to 3,000 characters), a video (up to 3 minutes), or an audio clip (up to 3 minutes) describing their migraine experiences, career goals, and how the award could help them professionally. From the entries received, twenty (20) winners were selected to receive up to $2,500.00 each to support their career pursuits. Judging was held between September 3, 2024, at 12:01 p.m. ET and September 25, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. ET, conducted by an AbbVie-appointed panel of communications, medical, and marketing professionals. Entries were evaluated based on the following three criteria: Originality and Language Style, Clarity, and Relevance to the Contest Theme.

Information about entering the 2025 contest will be available at www.migrainecareercatalyst.com in June 2025.

Forward-Looking Statements 
Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project” and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie’s operations is set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of AbbVie’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

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References:

1. Adams AM, Serrano D, et al. Perceived effect of migraine on career and finances: results of the chronic migraine epidemiology and outcomes (CaMEO). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01648530. Updated January 29, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2024. clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01648530.
2. American Migraine Foundation. What is migraine? January 21, 2021. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/what-is-migraine/
3. World Health Organization. Migraine and other headache disorders. March 6, 2024. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders
4. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS). The international classification of headache disorders, 3rd edition. Cephalalgia. 2018;38:1-211.
5. Amiri P, Kazeminasab S, Nejadghaderi SA, Mohammadinasab R, Pourfathi H, Araj-Khodaei M, Sullman MJM, Kolahi AA, Safiri S. Migraine: a review on its history, global epidemiology, risk factors, and comorbidities. Front Neurol. 2022 Feb 23;12:800605. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.800605. PMID: 35281991; PMCID: PMC8904749.
6. Steiner, T. J., Stovner, L. J., Vos, T., Jensen, R., & Katsarava, Z. Migraine is first cause of disability in under 50s: will health politicians now take notice? J Headache Pain. 2018;19:17.
7. AbbVie. Data on File: ABVRRTI73750.
8. Katsarava Z, Buse DC, Manack AN, Lipton RB. Defining the differences between episodic migraine and chronic migraine. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2012;16:86-92.

SOURCE AbbVie

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