Mere weeks after earning the FDA’s signoff on new drug Winrevair to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), Merck has kicked off an educational campaign around the rare disease.
The “Outnumber PAH” initiative is aimed primarily at people diagnosed with the disease, which stems from the more common condition of pulmonary hypertension and is estimated to affect around 40,000 people in the U.S. The disease causes blood vessels in the lungs to narrow, leading to increased blood pressure and, eventually, heart failure, and it progresses rapidly, with a survival rate of less than 60% within five years of diagnosis if left untreated.
Merck’s new campaign is focused on providing information and resources to PAH patients to help navigate their diagnosis and daily life with the disease, with an overarching theme of encouraging them to build a support system that’ll “outnumber” the disease. The site features the stories of seven people with PAH who have found support systems in their friends, family, care teams and each other, and some of whom are helping others do the same through advocacy work.
In addition to the patient stories, the Outnumber PAH hub offers information about the disease—from general statistics to common symptoms and the diagnostic process—plus tips for adjusting to a new diagnosis, seeking out the right care team and “building a life around PAH,” including support for lifestyle changes that may be needed as the disease progresses.
The site also provides two printouts: a conversation guide to help patients talk to their doctors about their care and explain the condition to their friends and family, and a contact sheet aimed at keeping a list of every member of a patient’s support team—and how they can be reached—organized in one place.
Merck developed the campaign in partnership with three nonprofit organizations, all of which are listed as “advocacy partners” on the site: the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, the National Scleroderma Foundation and the Phaware Global Association.
Though the Outnumber PAH site includes Merck branding, it doesn’t feature any references to Winrevair—nor any other specific treatments for PAH.
Winrevair’s approval last month marked a new era in care for the condition. Previously approved therapies, which include Johnson & Johnson’s Uptravi and Opsumit, and United Therapeutics’ Adcirca, are focused on alleviating symptoms rather than actually attacking the disease. Winrevair, meanwhile, targets the proteins associated with PAH’s inflammatory processes and was proven in a phase 3 trial to significantly improve exercise capacity and extend the time to clinical worsening events while also reducing right heart size and improving right ventricle function and hemodynamic status.
Analysts have estimated that the drug—which Merck has priced at $14,000 per vial, with single- or double-vial doses, depending on a patient’s weight, needed every three weeks—has a peak sales potential of at least $2 billion, with some forecasts as high as $4 billion.