Novartis launched a pan-European advanced breast cancer campaign this week.
The Here & Now project, supported by Virgo Health, aims to build public awareness and improve patient care and support for the advanced breast cancer community, following research by Novartis that revealed a general lack of public understanding about the disease.
The campaign kicked off in Brussels this week with a screening of a new artwork developed by two British artists, photographer Tim Wainwright and sound artist John Wynne. I Am Not Cancer is a sound installation created to provide a platform for patients to share their thoughts and experiences of living with ABC.
(picture: left, Tim Wainwright, right, John Wynne)
“We set out to encourage the women to speak directly about what is most important to them, rather than trying to solicit responses that would illustrate particular points,” explained Wynne.
“There are of course shared experiences between women with advanced breast cancer, but we were most surprised by how differently they deal with it. For one, family and friends take on increased importance, for another the situation becomes a spiritual journey to be experienced alone, while for another work remains a crucial focus.”
As well as video and audio footage from the I Am Not Cancer sound installation, further campaign materials include the findings of the pan-European survey of patients and carers.
The survey, commissioned by Novartis Oncology, revealed that although 81 per cent of UK respondents are aware early breast cancer is curable, 77 per cent were either unsure or did not know that ABC cannot be treated so that the patient becomes free from the disease.
Commenting on the campaign, Panos Alexakos, oncology general manager, Novartis UK and Ireland, said: “We have launched the Here & Now campaign to illustrate the realities for women living with the disease and we hope to uncover insights into the disease and the societal contributions of these women that have not previously been explored on this scale.”
This campaign is the latest project by Novartis aimed at improving awareness of advanced breast cancer. Last year, the Swiss pharma company re-launched its AvancedBreastCancerCommunity.org website and also began using YouTube to broadcast its ABC talk show, Each Voice Counts.
Novartis’ key product in this area is Afinitor (everolimus) which, despite gaining US and European approval last year for the treatment of advanced breasy cancer, was turned down earlier this year by the Uk’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the basis that it is not cost-effective.
