The Spanish arm of Saatchi & Saatchi Health has launched a new online campaign that aims to improve national public awareness of restless legs syndrome (RLS).
Uncovering Restless Legs Syndrome (Destapando el Síndrome de Piernas Inquietas) has been developed in partnership with Belgium-headquartered pharma company UCB and includes a website with associated blogs, forums and social networks.
The RLS microsite, www.destapandospi.com, represent the central axis of the action and features information relating to the condition, its symptoms, treatment options, as well as testimonials from people living with RLS. The site also allows users to create their own infographics, with the added option of sharing these and personal comments via the site’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Together with Saatchi & Saatchi Health and UCB, the project has been supported by a number of institutions, including the Spanish Society of Neurology, the Foundation of the Brain, the Spanish Society of Restless Legs Syndrome, the Research Institute of Sleep, and Centro Comercial Príncipe Pío.
RLS is characterised by unpleasant sensations in the legs, resulting in an uncontrollable urge to move to gain relief. The condition affects about 10 per cent of the population in Spain, many of whom have difficulty falling and staying asleep. While the underlying pathophysiology of RLS is not fully understood, it is thought to involve the central dopamine system.
Last year UCB’s Parkinson’s disease treatment, Neupro (rotigotine transdermal system), was approved in the US for use in the treatment for moderate-to-severe RLS. And in May this year, new data was published showing Neupro reduced total nocturnal systolic blood pressure (NSBP) elevations in people with RLS.
“RLS can be a serious condition with symptoms that can affect patients at any point in the day or night; and Parkinson’s disease symptoms can have a broad impact on patients,” said Dr William Ondo professor of the department of neurology at the University of Texas’ Houston Medical School.
“Neupro provides a novel way of treating RLS and PD through continuous transdermal dopaminergic delivery. It can help patients manage the unpredictable nature of these chronic conditions.”