Sanofi Launches 'Good Steps 6-Minute Walk' Campaign to Overcome Rare Diseases

Global healthcare company Sanofi Korea announced on the 10th that it will hold an outdoor event for the rare disease awareness campaign, ‘Good Steps 6-Minute Walk,’ on the 13th at Sebitseom in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

'2023 Good Walk 6-Minute Walking' Campaign Promotional Poster
Photo by Sanofi

Rare diseases refer to conditions with a patient population of fewer than 20,000 or diseases that are difficult to diagnose, making it impossible to determine the number of patients. More than 6,000 diseases worldwide are classified as rare diseases. In Korea, many rare disease patients spend over 10 years trying to receive an accurate diagnosis, often missing the golden window for treatment.

In response, Sanofi has selected ‘Early Diagnosis and Family Testing for Rare Diseases’ as the theme for this year’s Good Steps 6-Minute Walk campaign. The Good Steps 6-Minute Walk campaign is inspired by the ‘6-minute walk’ test, which measures improvement in rare disease patients, and over the past eight years, it has gathered the steps of participating employees and citizens to raise awareness of rare diseases and support patients.

This year’s campaign is a collaboration between ▲Sanofi ▲Korea Rare and Intractable Disease Association ▲Korean Society of Medical Genetics, aiming to actively promote the importance of early diagnosis of rare diseases, including family testing. Ultimately, the goal is to contribute to reducing patients’ medical expenses and improving their quality of life.

The Good Steps 6-Minute Walk event held at Sebitseom on the 13th will feature various citizen participation programs and attractions. The ‘Good Steps Zone,’ set up at the Yebitseom Plaza, is an experiential space where visitors walk along a reflexology path shaped like the number ‘6’ to empathize with the pain of rare disease patients. Additionally, the Good Steps 6-Minute Walk Challenge is an activity that donates hopeful and encouraging steps to rare disease patients, allowing direct participation on-site using the mobile walking app ‘WalkOn.’

Alongside this, a music talk show titled ‘Rare Disease (RD) Stage’ will be held to discuss rare diseases through music. The main session of the RD Stage will feature Beomhee Lee, Genetic Counselor and Director of the Korean Society of Medical Genetics, who will highlight the importance of early diagnosis and family testing for rare diseases. Various musicians will also perform, delivering messages of support for overcoming rare diseases.

Heekyung Park, President of Sanofi-Aventis Korea, said, “Over the past three years, rare disease patients have faced difficulties in diagnosis and treatment due to COVID-19. We decided to hold both online and offline events to deliver greater support and hope to them. Through this campaign, we are deeply moved to be able to spread the culture of early diagnosis for rare diseases and to support overcoming rare diseases together with citizens.”

The Good Steps 6-Minute Walk Challenge will also be held online until the 22nd. Anyone can participate from anywhere by downloading the WalkOn application.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.