• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, September 13, 2004

Terra Lycos recently joined forces with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca by launching a Spanish-language Web site devoted to acid reflux disease. The deal represents the first time AstraZeneca has sponsored a Spanish-language Web site devoted to acid reflux, although the company has sponsored a similar site on MSN.com, says AstraZeneca spokesman Jim Coyne.

The site, which is part of Terra.com's "salud," or health, section, contains information about gastroesophageal reflux disease--and the only advertiser is AstraZeneca, which manufactures heartburn relief drug Nexium.

"Acid reflux disease information, we believe, is important to put out there as broadly as possible," says Coyne, adding that many people turn to the Internet for health care information.

Coyne says that AstraZeneca does not review or approve content before it's posted on Terra.com's site.

The deal--which as been in the works since last December--didn't go live until two weeks ago, due to delays in translating Nexium ads into Spanish, according to Michele Azan, vice president of sales at Terra.com. The holdup occurred because AstraZeneca's legal department wanted to make sure the Spanish version of the ads would pass muster with regulatory authorities.

Although Terra.com broadcasts throughout the world, the Nexium ads will only be shown to viewers in the United States--where AstraZeneca distributes the drug, says Azan.

Terra.com has other alliances with pharmaceutical companies, including one with Johnson & Johnson related to its weekly birth control patch, Ortho Evra. Terra.com will soon unveil a Web site devoted to the drug--but, unlike the acid reflux site, Johnson & Johnson will be providing content as well as ads, according to Azan. Last year, Terra.com hosted a site for Pfizer's erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.