Novartis has collaborated with rare diseases organisation Eurordis to help raise public awareness of rare disease.
Coinciding with Rare Diseases Day 2013 (February, 28), the Swiss pharmaceutical firm has produced a global multimedia education campaign to improve awareness of specific rare diseases.
The initiative includes fact sheets, infographics and advice on diseases such as Cushing’s disease, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), chronic myeloid leukemia etc.
It also includes a playlist on the company’s YouTube channel, which pulls together previously existing videos focusing on lesser-known illnesses.
In addition, a ‘Rare Diseases Hour’ has been incorporated into Novartis’ corporate Twitter feed, which consisted of disease education Tweets.
Appearing for an hour daily throughout February, the tweets often involved quotes from medical experts and frequently included a link to the YouTube channel or else to other online patient resources.
“At Novartis, we work to define important pathway targets of disease and to develop therapies for diseases where there are unmet patient needs,” director of global and US public relations, Sabrina Bianca Oei told PMLiVE.
“This year, we continue to show our commitment to patients by unifying many different rare disease indications into one coordinated awareness programme, with the hope of creating one strong voice.”
Rare Disease Day was set up in 2008 by Eurordis, a non-governmental alliance of patient organisations, and co-funded by the Health Programme at the European Union.
(Video: Yann Le Cam of EURORDIS on EU rare disease treatment at World Orphan Drug Congress USA)
The occasion this year sees patient organisations from more than 60 countries around the world will take part in awareness-raising activities, under the slogan ‘rare diseases without boarders’.
Rare diseases – including cancers and genetic diseases – have been part of Novartis’ corporate strategy for the past decade and it currently has 12 drugs on the market and more than 40 research projects focusing on unmet medical needs.
“Novartis is a leader in the paradigm shift toward a ‘niche-buster’ model, centered on an understanding of the science of disease,” Oei continued.
“Different from the blockbuster model, an understanding of molecular pathways allows Novartis to better develop drugs that have potential implications in a variety of disease areas with the ultimate goal of developing therapies that meet the unmet medical needs of patients.
“Working with a targeted indication, where there is a deep understanding of how the drug works, can lead to better success,” she said.
