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Connect Biopharma partners with the Jovante Woods Foundation to enhance asthma education and awareness, aiming to prevent acute attacks and save lives.
Connect Biopharma is assisting the former NFL star’s foundation for Asthma through expansive education and driving awareness for acute Asthma attacks.
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Connect Biopharma teamed up with the Javonte Woods Foundation in a collaborative effort to drive awareness and provide educational programs for asthma. Elbert “Ickey” Woods established the foundation after losing his 16-year-old son Jovante to an acute asthma attack following a high school football practice.
“Asthma has been in our family for as long as I can remember,” said Woods. “But the day I will never forget is August 14, 2010, when I learned that asthma, particularly acute attacks and their complications, can kill. Jovante was a shining, always positive family member who excelled at school and at sports. When Chandra and I began to process what happened, we knew that more needed to be done to help other families understand the severity of asthma and prevent another tragedy. Connect Biopharma has a big heart and mission. I am fortunate to have learned of the Company’s dedication to developing a new medicine to treat acute asthma exacerbations, an area where little work has been done. In partnership with Connect, we can increase the frequency of our educational programming and expand its reach beyond Cincinnati and the cities where we have strong networks.”1
Over one million people enter the emergency room annually due to an acute exacerbation, with 30% of patients requiring a multi-night stay. In the four weeks following an acute attack, another 50% of patients report worsening symptoms or suffer another attack that demands medical attention, such as returning to the emergency room or immediate medical assistance. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate upwards of 3,500 deaths across the U.S. annually due to asthma related complications.
Both Ickey and Chandra Woods established the foundation with the goal of bringing awareness to the demand for new asthma treatment options and the need for educational materials. The foundation hosts multiple town-hall styled events providing an educational setting for families suffering from Asthma and supplying them with information about overall treatment management.
Connect and the Foundation curated a video package centered on Javonte’s story, aiming to educate the public on the dangers of acute asthma attacks and overall asthma management. The video also shows the need for new novel asthma treatments and will be featured in across multiple foundation events and the 2025 NFL season.
Barry Quart, pharm.D., chief executive officer and director of Connect Biopharma, talked about the collaboration with the foundation, saying, “When we met Ickey through mutual friends, our Connect leadership team knew immediately that we wanted to help. Enabling families to properly understand asthma, its risks, and the nuances of the treatment journey, is critical to preventing what is preventable: asthma deaths. Significant resources have been allocated toward the development of improved treatments for chronic asthma. Yet, 15 years since Jovante’s death, not enough is being done to specifically address acute asthma exacerbations. We are determined to change this and Connect looks forward to collaborating with the Foundation to increase its reach nationwide. This focus on education is aligned with our own work in developing a new treatment for acute asthma exacerbations. We are currently advancing our Phase 2 Seabreeze STAT studies toward an anticipated topline data read-out in the first half of next year.”1
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