Finalist
Launching Zolgensma®: The First UK Gene Therapy for SMA
Summary of work
Imagine being told your baby has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and without treatment, >90% of babies don’t make their second birthday. Then imagine being told that this prognosis could be transformed by an advance in gene therapy, which could change the baby’s future. This was the reality for the Morgan family, whose 5-month-old son became the first baby to receive Zolgensma® (onasemnogene abeparvovec) on the NHS in England.
Zolgensma, named by some media, ‘the world’s most expensive drug’ is a one-time treatment designed to address the root cause of SMA and halt disease progression. The challenge for Novartis Gene Therapies was to go beyond the headline, and compliantly convey the value of the treatment to the NHS, families and society.
SMA type 1 is a rare, neuromuscular disease that causes irreversible loss of motor neurons, affecting vital functions. Awareness of the disease, its symptoms and treatment options is key, as early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to prevent irreversible damage for babies affected.
With a strategy based on media education, endorsement from experts and carefully orchestrated collaboration with NHS and NICE comms teams, the story on the launch and first infusion broke through a competitive media landscape to achieve broad coverage.
Judges’ comments
This was a solid campaign, providing great upfront analysis. The reach of the media coverage is very good, but most impressive is the tone and sentiment of the reporting when the cost would have been easier news angle for journalist to go with.
