Tuesday November 2, 8:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: AstraZeneca PLC
Headache Pain Stands in Way of Responsibilities, Says National Survey
New AstraZeneca Ad Campaign Shows Sufferers Can Find Relief Anytime
WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-five percent of women with debilitating headaches say they are unable to tend to their responsibilities at home when headaches strike, according to a national survey. In addition, 76 percent of these women say they have had to rely on someone else to get through their daily activities.(A)
The national survey of 500 women was conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide for AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - news), maker of migraine medication ZOMIG® (zolmitriptan) Tablets.(A) ZOMIG is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults.(B) Of the women surveyed, 100 said they have experienced a severe or debilitating headache.
These women overwhelmingly said their headaches get in the way of managing responsibilities at home, and 60 percent said they feel this way at least once every few months. In addition, 60 percent of these women said they have had to rely on someone else to get through their daily activities at least once a month. Of the headache sufferers who work, 95 percent said they have wanted to take a day off because of their headaches, and 85 percent said they felt this way at least once every few months.(A)
``Today's results illustrate what women with severe headaches are faced with when experiencing debilitating pain,'' said Gerry Torres, MD, CNS Therapeutic Area Medical Director, AstraZeneca. ``Headaches interfere with all aspects of women's lives, whether it's caring for their children, contributing in the workplace, or enjoying a social event.''
AstraZeneca recently launched a new ZOMIG advertising campaign demonstrating the impact migraine has on a sufferer's ability to handle daily responsibilities. In one survey, 41 percent of migraine sufferers felt they let their families down when headaches strike.©
The emotional ``Yes, Mama'' execution of the ``Migraine Pain Relief -- Anytime'' campaign taps into these feelings about responsibility. The television ad opens with a young boy standing outside of a room where his mother lies in bed, incapacitated by a migraine. Viewers hear the mother asking him to get the baby's juice, because she is unable to manage even this fundamental responsibility. After taking ZOMIG, the next day she is back to her normal activities and able to play with her son. According to the ad developers, the piece struck a cord with migraine sufferers, moving several women in the focus groups to tears. Most importantly, the announcer suggests to the consumer to ``speak to your doctor'' for more product information.
``We developed a campaign to show women that they can resume normal activities when they have effective migraine medication,'' said Michael Hickey, CNS Therapeutic Area Leader, AstraZeneca. The direct-to-consumer campaign is a comprehensive, multimillion dollar program. The majority of ads will run on television, but the company also is planning Internet banner ads and magazine print ads.
ABOUT ZOMIG AND ASTRAZENECA
ZOMIG is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. ZOMIG is contraindicated for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, ischemic heart disease, or other significant underlying heart disease. Patients who have risk factors for heart disease should be fully evaluated by their physician prior to initiation of therapy with ZOMIG. In addition, ZOMIG should not be administered to patients who are hypersensitive to zolmitriptan or any of the inactive ingredients of ZOMIG Tablets. ZOMIG should only be used where a clear diagnosis of migraine has been established. As with other serotonin agonists, sensations of tightness, pain, pressure, and heaviness have been reported after treatment with ZOMIG Tablets in different regions of the body, including the chest. In clinical studies of more than 8,300 patients treating more than 87,000 attacks, ZOMIG was well tolerated. Adverse events reported by patients were mostly mild or of moderate intensity, and the most common included asthenia (lack of energy), nausea, dizziness, somnolence (drowsiness), and paresthesia (feelings such as tingling, numbness, or itching).
AstraZeneca PLC is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world based on sales and is a therapeutic leader in gastrointestinal, oncology, anesthesia including pain management, cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS), and respiratory products. Based in the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN - news) is a major $15.8 billion international bioscience business engaged in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals and agricultural products, and the supply of health care services. The US operations of AstraZeneca include AstraZeneca, a Business Unit of Zeneca Inc., AstraZeneca LP, Zeneca Ag Products and Salick Health Care. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $7.2 billion bioscience business with approximately 11,000 employees.
