What’s in a name? Well, when that name is iHeart, an open door for promoting cardiovascular-related causes.
To that end, the aptly named radio network has partnered with Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb for a new awareness effort that encourages people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem to talk to their doctor about the risks of stroke.
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The effort includes a website with educational information, a quiz, and exclusive music videos of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes from a recent “Tune in to AFib” concert. A Pfizer spokeswoman said, via email, that iHeartMedia will also raise awareness on its own platform through media interviews, social media, radio announcements and online promotions. One of iHeart’s popular radio personalities, Ken Dashow of New York classic rock station Q104.3, hosted the recent concert, becoming involved in the effort inspired by a close friend who developed afib.
“When one of my closest friends told me he had AFib and explained the associated increased stroke risk, I had to find a way to use my voice and get involved,” Dashow said in a news release. “In my more than 30 years of experience in the music industry, I’ve learned that music has a powerful ability to inspire action.”
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Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb jointly market the next-generation oral anticoagulant Eliquis, which earlier this year surpassed Johnson & Johnson’s Xarelto as the market segment leader based on total prescriptions. Bristol-Myers Squibb reported total Eliquis sales of $3.34 billion for 2016 and more recently reported sales of $3.51 billion for the first nine months of 2017.