The actor’s family connection fuels a public-health campaign aimed at deepening understanding of Huntington’s disease and supporting affected communities.
Actor Will Forte has joined a public-awareness campaign backed by Teva Pharmaceuticals to highlight Huntington’s disease, a rare, inherited neurological disorder that has no cure and remains poorly understood outside specialist medical circles.
The campaign, called Honestly HD, features Forte speaking publicly about his family’s direct experience with the disease. His father-in-law lived with Huntington’s, and his brother-in-law was diagnosed in 2022, according to details released with the campaign.
(Reported by Yahoo Finance: Will Forte Teams Up With Teva to Get Real About Huntington’s Disease)
Huntington’s disease causes the gradual breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, leading to progressive impairment of movement, cognition and behavior. Symptoms typically appear in mid-adulthood and worsen over time. There is currently no treatment that stops or reverses the disease, and care focuses on managing symptoms.
One of the most visible and disruptive symptoms is chorea, a movement disorder characterized by involuntary, irregular motions that can interfere with walking, speech and daily activities. Medical experts estimate that the majority of people with Huntington’s experience chorea at some stage of the illness.
Teva said the campaign is intended to address gaps in public understanding and reduce stigma around the disease, rather than promote a specific product. The company markets Austedo, a drug approved to treat chorea associated with Huntington’s disease, but said the awareness initiative is educational in focus.
(According to Fierce Pharma: Teva taps SNL alum Will Forte to join Huntington’s disease awareness push)
Public health advocates have long warned that limited awareness of Huntington’s disease can delay diagnosis and restrict access to support services, particularly for families facing complex decisions around genetic testing and long-term caregiving.
Because Huntington’s is inherited, each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of developing the condition. The disease is estimated to affect tens of thousands of people in the United States, with many more considered at genetic risk.
Teva said it plans to expand the campaign over the coming months with additional educational materials and patient stories, aimed at encouraging earlier conversations between patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.
(Reported by MM+M: Actor Will Forte shares family story in Teva’s Huntington’s disease campaign)
Health experts say sustained awareness efforts can improve early recognition of symptoms and strengthen support networks, even as research continues into treatments that could slow or modify the course of the disease.
