Shire Pharmaceuticals is hitting “the road” as part of a new
unbranded education campaign for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC),
complete with live events in 10 cities.
Shire developed the “On the Road Again” campaign as a
response to results of its series of company-sponsored surveys completed in
2007 illustrating the challenges that exist for UC patients: communication gaps
with doctors, medication compliance and other life disruptions. About 700,000
people in the US are afflicted with UC.
“The ‘On the Road Again' program is intended to empower
people with UC across the country and provide them with the knowledge and tools
necessary to better manage their disease and regain control of their lives,”
explained Mike Yasick, SVP and gastrointestinal global business unit leader at
Shire.
The campaign will feature live education event tour stops
this spring in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, Miami,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Long Island, NY. Each event will
include a dietician, a gastroenterologist, a social worker or health
psychologist, and an online health information professional. These experts will
discuss UC and role of diet, treatment options and building an online UC
community, Shire said.
Shire currently markets UC treatments Lialda (mesalamine)
and Pentasa (mesalamine).
Shire has also launched
www.RoadtoUCLearning.com, an online tour companion that features the “On the
Road Again” event schedule, speaker bios, and registration and condition
information.