NitroMed plans ads for heart drug that focus on quality of life rather than race

NitroMed plans ads for heart drug that focus on quality of life rather than race

By Mark Jewell
The Associated Press
(September 1, 2006) The maker of the first medication approved for use in a specific racial group is preparing to roll out its first advertisements in a narrowly targeted campaign that stresses quality-of-life issues for black heart-failure patients rather than dwelling on race.

The radio and print spots scheduled to start next week in black media in Detroit, Houston, and Washington D.C. come as NitroMed Inc. tries to overcome initial disappointing sales of the heart-failure drug BiDil, which hit the market a year ago.

NitroMed's consumer campaign has so far focused on personal pitches at black churches and health fairs in cities with large black populations, and partnerships with groups like the NAACP.

Although BiDil is approved only for use by the estimated 750,000 US blacks with heart failure, a 60-second radio spot that will kick off the media campaign makes just one direct reference to race, noting that BiDil is “FDA-approved to treat heart failure in African-American patients."

The spot opens with a grandfatherly voice asking, “Pass the string beans please, and those sweet potatoes!" -- foods popular among many blacks. Then a girl's voice pleads with her grandfather to play “hide and go seek" after dinner. The response from the girl's mother: “Honey, granddad's too tired. You go play with your sister."

A voice then lists common heart-failure symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and swollen ankles or legs, and suggests, “If this sounds like you or someone you love, ask your doctor about BiDil."

A print ad showing a black grandfather with a girl on his knee also makes only passing mention of race.

One pharmaceutical industry analyst who follows NitroMed said the spots “sound good without being too hardcore on race. They're trying to tread lightly here," said the analyst, Liana Moussatos, of Pacific Growth Equities.

The ad firm that developed the campaign for NitroMed says it chose to stress quality-of-life issues rather than emphasize BiDil's unique status as a race-specific drug, or the higher incidence of heart failure among blacks compared with whites. “Race wasn't the core driver, but it's in there," said Cara Cocroft of Burrell Communications Group, a Chicago firm that specializes in marketing to black consumers.

B.J. Jones, vice president of marketing for Lexington, Mass.-based NitroMed, said the ads attempt to subtly connect with the target audience.

BiDil's launch is being closely watched because it's expected to help usher in an era of so-called “personalized" medicine in which treatments are increasingly tailored to individuals' makeups. BiDil is a combination of two drugs that boosts the amounts of nitric oxide in the blood -- a substance found in lower levels in some blacks that has several roles in heart health.

NitroMed's advertising will begin a month after the small company withdrew an earlier forecast predicting $20 million in BiDil sales this year. But BiDil revenue during the first six months of this year totaled just $5.2 million.

Moussatos said the ad campaign could help prop up sales that have lagged in part because many physicians continue separately prescribing two older drugs that can be used to treat heart failure as a less-expensive alternative to BiDil.

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Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $679 Billion (2004) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing 110.2 bil. - Food 53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks 28.7 bil. - Clothing 22.0 bil. - Health Care 17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2006 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	NitroMed plans ads for heart drug that focus on quality of life rather than race By Mark Jewell The Associated Press (September 1, 2006) The maker of the first medication approved for use in a specific racial group is preparing to roll out its first advertisements in a narrowly targeted campaign that stresses quality-of-life issues for black heart-failure patients rather than dwelling on race. The radio and print spots scheduled to start next week in black media in Detroit, Houston, and Washington D.C. come as NitroMed Inc. tries to overcome initial disappointing sales of the heart-failure drug BiDil, which hit the market a year ago. NitroMed's consumer campaign has so far focused on personal pitches at black churches and health fairs in cities with large black populations, and partnerships with groups like the NAACP. Although BiDil is approved only for use by the estimated 750,000 US blacks with heart failure, a 60-second radio spot that will kick off the media campaign makes just one direct reference to race, noting that BiDil is “FDA-approved to treat heart failure in African-American patients." The spot opens with a grandfatherly voice asking, “Pass the string beans please, and those sweet potatoes!" -- foods popular among many blacks. Then a girl's voice pleads with her grandfather to play “hide and go seek" after dinner. The response from the girl's mother: “Honey, granddad's too tired. You go play with your sister." A voice then lists common heart-failure symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and swollen ankles or legs, and suggests, “If this sounds like you or someone you love, ask your doctor about BiDil." A print ad showing a black grandfather with a girl on his knee also makes only passing mention of race. One pharmaceutical industry analyst who follows NitroMed said the spots “sound good without being too hardcore on race. They're trying to tread lightly here," said the analyst, Liana Moussatos, of Pacific Growth Equities. The ad firm that developed the campaign for NitroMed says it chose to stress quality-of-life issues rather than emphasize BiDil's unique status as a race-specific drug, or the higher incidence of heart failure among blacks compared with whites. “Race wasn't the core driver, but it's in there," said Cara Cocroft of Burrell Communications Group, a Chicago firm that specializes in marketing to black consumers. B.J. Jones, vice president of marketing for Lexington, Mass.-based NitroMed, said the ads attempt to subtly connect with the target audience. BiDil's launch is being closely watched because it's expected to help usher in an era of so-called “personalized" medicine in which treatments are increasingly tailored to individuals' makeups. BiDil is a combination of two drugs that boosts the amounts of nitric oxide in the blood -- a substance found in lower levels in some blacks that has several roles in heart health. NitroMed's advertising will begin a month after the small company withdrew an earlier forecast predicting $20 million in BiDil sales this year. But BiDil revenue during the first six months of this year totaled just $5.2 million. Moussatos said the ad campaign could help prop up sales that have lagged in part because many physicians continue separately prescribing two older drugs that can be used to treat heart failure as a less-expensive alternative to BiDil. Go to Target Market News homepage	Click here to read more ________________________ The African-American Book Publishing Authority Now in its seventh year of publication, Black Issues Book Review is the only nationally distributed magazine devoted exclusively to covering the latest news and reviews on black books. 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