- Spectrum Health Value Study
- Building Awareness of Alzheimer's and Recruiting a Clinical Trial for Myriad
- Explaining the Science of Products to Consumers
- Launching BiDil: A Highly Effective, But Controversial Drug
- Demystifying a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Making Microbes Cool for Kids
- Raising Awareness of Cancer Clinical Trials: The Tour of Hope
- Starting a Conversation about Women’s Health
- The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IoM)
- Bringing Recognition to a Leader in Pediatric Developmental Disabilities
- Why Does Sex Matter?
Launching BiDil: A Highly Effective, But Controversial Drug
Heart failure kills more African Americans than any other ethnic group. But in 2005, this community received good news. Spectrum partnered with NitroMed, Inc. to announce the historic FDA approval and launch of BiDil®, the first drug approved to treat one specific ethnic group - African Americans. This medical innovation improved survival by 43% in African Americans with heart failure. Our challenge in announcing this news was to manage a growing tide of controversy around the drug.
At the core of our communications strategy was a focus on getting influencers on our side and delivering the BiDil news to a high-risk, disenfranchised population. Battling this community's skepticism about trying something new, we were successful in gaining early acceptance among black cardiologists and African American community leaders. Working through this coalition, we brought BiDil information to those who needed it most and built goodwill for NitroMed in the medical and advocacy community. Moreover, our outreach campaign resulted in balanced and positive coverage in all major (and minor) U.S. media outlets.
