| Novartis |
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Objective
Despite the availability of treatment options in Japan, one in eight people have more than one asthma attack per week, with one in five experiencing yearly attacks so severe that they cannot speak. Novartis Pharma K.K. (NPKK) appointed Cosmo to support the launch of Xolair (Omalizumab), a new treatment for uncontrolled asthma, to highlight the prevalence and need for additional treatment options. Cosmo was tasked with leveraging Novartis’ relationship with professional and patient groups to; raise awareness of IgE, a substance produced naturally as a part of the body’s natural defense and a main cause of allergic asthma attacks; highlight the benefits to patients of a new class of treatment to drive professional trial and usage; differentiate Xolair as the solution to the unmet needs of severe asthma patients, and drive uncontrolled severe asthma patients to healthcare professionals.
Strategic Approach
Cosmo established a program that consisted of media roundtables and press conferences. The media roundtables engaged expert spokespeople to establish and legitimize the link between IgE and allergic asthma. Cosmo worked with NPKK to develop a patient-driven survey to enable a comparison with the global survey ‘Fighting for Breath’, and highlight the unmet needs in asthma treatment in Japan. The survey was leveraged in a press conference which featured a panel discussion with five patient group representatives. Cosmo created a b-roll featuring a patient’s experiences and leveraged her participation in the clinical trials. Although a common practice for patients to advocate drugs in other countries, Japanese patients commonly refrain from talking publicly about their disease and this increased media interest. Xolair was launched at a press conference which included a simulation of an asthma attack (chest tightness and difficulty breathing) using AirXperience, a device used by Novartis globally.
Impact
Over 100 journalists were reached throughout the duration of the campaign, including national dailies, newswires, regional newspapers, consumer publications, online and TV. Coverage from the patient survey and launch of Xolair generated 114 articles and achieved 48 million media impressions (as at June 2009). Awareness for severe allergic asthma remained high as sufferers reported higher collaboration among patient groups. |
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