Urovant Sciences is launching a new multichannel education campaign that aims to teach the public about the impact of overactive bladder (OAB) and provide tips to help patients living with OAB manage the condition.
The release is timed with the holiday season, a time of year for travel that is often riddled with concern for those with OAB.
The campaign will bring together Urovant, maker of Gemtesa, a prescription treatment for OAB, and Speax by Thinx, an underwear designed to absorb bladder leakage. Called “Time To Go,” the marketing campaign will raise awareness for those living with symptoms of OAB, including those who may not yet have received an official diagnosis.
The marketing will begin with organic and paid advertising on social media, geared toward driving patients to the platform www.TimeToGo.com.
The campaign kicks off during Bladder Health Awareness Month and will run across digital and print media. In honor of the holiday travel season, patients can sign up for a travel kit to provide them additional information and resources on the campaign’s website.
“Our audience includes patients with diagnosed OAB or undiagnosed—either side the equation,” Walt Johnston, executive vice president, commercial at Urovant Sciences, told Fierce Pharma Marketing. “But we are also concentrating our marketing efforts on women, those above the age of 45, and including those with who are African American and Hispanic.”
Johnston hopes the campaign will drive much-needed conversations so patients understand the range of OAB management solutions.
“Due to the stigma, patients often don’t talk to healthcare professionals. There are innovative solutions,” Johnston said. “We have an opportunity to educate and let patients know there are good options out there and opportunity to deal with issues.” He went on to explain that one in every 10 Americans is impacted by OAB.
There is also a physician component to the campaign, because Urovant Sciences wants to bring more awareness and resources to this point of contact.
So where does the pharma company fit into the equation of informing and helping patients?
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“For me, it’s about partnering a biotech company and a consumer product where there is a common bond, on an innovative platform,” Johnston said. “Patients are still looking for resolution and from an industry perspective—this allows us to partner on a common goal. We have the ability to take the stigma out of OAB and, overtime, that will have significant impact.”
Urovant launched Gemtesa in early 2021, targeting women aged 50-plus already taking a beta-3 drug but not happy with the results. Urovant originally partnered with pharma company Sunovion to market Gemtesa to primary care physicians.