• by Les Luchter , May 19, 2023

All asthma patients aren’t alike. Just under 10% of the 56 million Americans with asthma have severe eosinophilic asthma, caused by high levels of white blood cells called eosinophils in their respiratory systems.

AstraZeneca, which five years ago introduced Fasenra to treat this disease, has now launched an eosinophilic asthma awareness campaign called “Move Forward With Fasenra” that’s directed at both patients with the condition and healthcare providers who treat it.

“We are taking an integrated approach across consumer and HCP audiences, rather than segmenting the audiences with separate messaging and creative,” confirmed Matt Gray, executive director for Fasenra marketing at AstraZeneca, in an interview with Marketing Daily. “The intent behind the campaign is to highlight AstraZeneca’s goal to help patients living with severe eosinophilic asthma by clarifying the impact of Fasenra and educating health care professionals about Fasenra.”

In a 60-second spot called “Remember,” a female voiceover asks, “Remember the things you loved doing before your asthma got in the way” as a woman onscreen takes a motorcycle out for a ride. “Get back to the things you love with Fasenra.”

“Over the five years [the drug has been on the market], we’ve heard countless stories of patients in real life who are now able to go back to doing the things they love, both from the patients and the HCPs who treat them,” Gray explained. “We’ve found that the ability to get back to these things is motivating for both customer segments.”

He added, “The motorcycle imagery represents the idea of liberation and is meant to remind patients how they felt before their asthma prevented them from doing what they wanted. We want severe eosinophilic asthma patients to talk to their doctor so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy.”

To back up the spot, which launched in February, AstraZeneca has featured a physical Triumph motorcycle at its booth at industry events, first at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Congress, and starting this Friday at the American Thoracic Society Congress. Gray said this is designed to “generate further awareness of and education on eosinophilic asthma, the Move Forward with Fasenra campaign and its benefits to patients and health care professionals.

“Traditional campaign ads are planned for later this year,” he adds.

Two agencies -- FCBCure and McCann -- worked with AstraZeneca on the “Move Forward with Fasenra” campaign.

In March, compared with October, “We saw an approximate increase of 10% in aided awareness of Fasenra among patients, which this campaign has helped support,” Gray reported.

According to WebMD, other drugs used against eosinophilic asthma include Sanofi/Regeneron’s Dupixent, GSK’s Nucala and Teva’s Cinqair.