Novartis' Multichannel Campaign is Frontrunner in MS Field
Novartis continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the multiple sclerosis (MS) community through a series of public events and social networking initiatives that encourage information and experience exchange around the debilitating disease.
Marking World MS Day yesterday (29thMay) with a bang, Novartis launched the interactive online campaign, MS and:Our Story, which consists of a series of four animated films that chronicle the lives of people with MS and those who help care for them. The purpose of capturing real-life stories of the MS community and making them globally available (can be accessed through links on Twitter and Facebook) is to increase awareness of MS and the unique experiences of those living with the disease.
In an effort to encourage involvement from the MS community worldwide, submissions of personal stories will be accepted for the next three months (until the end of August) on the website. According to the Msandourstory.com finalists will then be “shrunk down, coloured in, animated and get to be a character in the final episode” in an animated video featured on the website. The Novartis Pinterest page was also launched yesterday as a platform where images and videos of interest to the MS community will be posted regularly.
Four years ago, the MS International Foundation (MSIF) created World MS Day with an aim to raise awareness of the disease and its impact on the millions of people affected around the globe. Onset of the illness which attacks the neurological system occurs in sufferers between the ages of 20 and 40. As such, this year's World MS Day campaign focuses on the many young people who have been diagnosed just as they begin to enter adulthood. As part of this campaign, in partnership with MS Ireland, Novartis hosted the 2nd International MS Patient Summit in Dublin earlier this month (17thMay) on ‘Young People with MS: Staying Active and Interactive’. Among a nation of storytellers, MS Ireland welcomes the initiative. “Our stories make us laugh, cry and understand. For people with MS sharing stories is a way to learn about the condition, find ways to manage it and most importantly come to terms with the changes.”
“Giving people opportunities to share their story allows them to connect and be understood. The ‘MS and: Our Story’ is a wonderful initiative that will stimulate conversation and support people here and abroad,” says the Irish society.
Other commendable initiatives by Novartis include developing patient support materials and partnering with patient associations and physicians to highlight the challenges MS sufferers face when trying to access specialists and treatments. But they have also proven to be ground-breaking in the field at researching and delivering innovative treatments to meet the medical needs of those with MS. At the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in Orlando, Florida (29thMay 29 – 1stJune 1), new research data indicated that people with relapsing MS reported greater treatment satisfaction after starting Novartis’ oral treatment Gilenya (fingolimod) in comparison with switching to, or staying on, injectable drugs.
“Patient satisfaction is critical for the management of chronic conditions like MS,” said study investigator Christopher LaGanke, MD, of North Central Neurology Associates, Alabama. “These treatment satisfaction results are meaningful to clinicians and add important real-world insight to the established clinical trial evidence we already have for fingolimod.”
With more than two years on the market, Gilenya is approved in 72 countries and more than 63,000 patients worldwide have been treated with Gilenya. David Epstein, Head of the Pharmaceuticals Division, Novartis maintains that the pharmaceutical company continues to be a leader in the field of MS. “We are not only committed to hosting initiatives that foster this dialogue exchange, but also to ensuring that people with MS have the appropriate care and support to manage their disease.”