Focus Areas
SMPA is deeply committed to accelerating breakthroughs to address patient needs in the critical areas of oncology, urology, women’s health, rare disease, neurology & psychiatry, and cell & gene therapies.
Women's Health
We support science, medicine, and advocacy to improve the lives of people suffering from uterine fibroids, or infertility.
Uterine Health Guide
We see people as more than the health conditions they are managing. To support those with questions about their uterine health, we created a series of resources to learn more about how to talk with healthcare providers and find support in the community.
Women's Health
Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine myomas or leiomyomas, are non-cancerous tumors that develop in the muscle of the uterus. Uterine fibroids may cause debilitating symptoms such as heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding, anemia, and pelvic pain.
Women's Health
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining is found outside the uterine cavity, commonly in the lower abdomen or pelvis. Endometriosis may cause debilitating symptoms such as dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain), non-menstrual pelvic pain, and dyspareunia (painful intercourse).
Women's Health
Infertility
Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after 12 months of regular intercourse without use of contraception. Causes of infertility include ovulatory disorders, endometriosis, and abnormal sperm.
Urology
We are focused on making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients with overactive bladder.
Understanding Overactive Bladder
Overactive Bladder (OAB) is not a disease but a collection of symptoms that can significantly impact a person's quality of life. This condition is characterized by a frequent and sudden urge to urinate and other distressing symptoms.
Urology
Overactive Bladder (OAB)
For people with OAB, the symptoms of urgency, increased frequency (specifically the need to urinate eight or more times a day), and accidental leakage episodes can be disruptive and disturbing.
While OAB is not a life-threatening condition, coping with its daily symptoms is limiting. People living with symptoms of OAB may not realize that it is more common than they might think.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged. About 60% of men with BPH are treated for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), such as OAB. LUTS can be divided into storage, voiding, and postmicturition symptoms. Over half of men with BPH report storage symptoms and about a quarter report voiding symptoms. This suggests that many men with a diagnosis of BPH may have overactive bladder. About half of all men between ages 51 and 60 have BPH and up to 90% of men over age 80 are living with the condition.
Psychiatry
We are committed to the research and discovery of therapies that address some of the world’s most serious and persistent psychiatric conditions. Our goal is to develop therapies that help patients overcome these mental health challenges.
Psychiatry
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a chronic, serious, and often severely disabling brain disorder that affects more than 20 million people worldwide and approximately 1 million people in the U.S. It is characterized by positive symptoms that include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, as well as negative symptoms, such as lack of emotion, social withdrawal, lack of spontaneity, and cognitive impairment that includes problems with memory, attention, and the ability to plan, organize, and make decisions.
Psychiatry
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder affects approximately 12.6 million individuals in the U.S. and an estimated 29 million people worldwide. A person is usually diagnosed with bipolar disorder after experiencing at least one manic episode, with symptoms that are not better explained by another mental health condition, such as schizophrenia. Bipolar disorder is characterized by debilitating mood swings, interspersed with periods of stable mood and behavior. When individuals with bipolar disorder are experiencing symptoms, most tend to be depressed rather than manic.
Neurology
We explore the depths of the brain to develop solutions for neurological conditions that impact millions of people worldwide. This constant driver of innovation enables us to charter new paths to life-transforming treatments.
Neurology
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases globally, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide. The condition is characterized by unpredictable seizures, which are caused by disturbances in the electrical activity in the brain. Someone is said to have epilepsy if they experience two or more unprovoked seizures separated by at least 24 hours or after one seizure with a high risk for more. It is estimated that up to 70% of people living with epilepsy could live seizure-free if properly diagnosed and treated.
Oncology
We dedicate our resources and talent to deliver better experiences for oncology patients and caregivers on the things that matter most to them, and by doing so, make the world a better place.
By leveraging our truly global network of experts, we relentlessly pursue and deliver innovation that makes a difference in people’s lives.
Oncology
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is a potentially lethal disease that starts in the prostate gland in men. Most prostate cancer is diagnosed while men are asymptomatic. Symptoms of metastatic prostate cancer may include weight loss, bone pain, fatigue, and urinary symptoms.
Rare Disease
We aim to develop life-altering medicines for rare diseases where either limited options exist or current therapies fail to address the underlying disease.
Rare Disease
Pediatric Congenital Athymia
Pediatric congenital athymia is an ultra-rare condition in which children are born without a thymus, which may cause profound immunodeficiency, vulnerability to potentially fatal infections, and life-threatening immune dysregulation. Pediatric congenital athymia affects 17 to 24 infants born each year in the U.S. In a natural history study, congenital athymia patients on supportive care alone did not survive beyond 2-3 years of age.
Pediatric congenital athymia is initially detected by T-cell deficiency observed in newborn screening for SCID (severe combined immune deficiency), which is now required in all 50 U.S. states. The “T” in T cell stands for thymus because it is where T cells are selected to fight infections or are destroyed if they have the potential to attack the body instead of invaders. SCID and congenital athymia are both primary immunodeficiency disorders, but they are distinct conditions.