Novartis digital initiatives to create awareness of heart failure can positively impact patients’ lives in India: GlobalData

Novartis has taken a lead in actively promoting heart failure awareness across India through unbranded digital initiatives that can successfully deliver message to a large population at risk, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center, the diagnosed prevalence of congestive heart failure in India is currently around 9.61 million with an annual growth of 4 per cent.

GlobalData’s ‘Digital Marketing Intelligence’ identified digital assets in this space developed by Novartis – Keepitpumping.in (unbranded website), Keep It Pumping India (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts), and Toibeatheartfailure.com (unbranded website) – which aim to educate people about this serious condition and engage with relevant stakeholders on suggesting solutions to offer accessible care and treatments.

GlobalData’s analysis revealed inconsistent and moderate traffic to Keepitpumping.in in 2019 with a total of 120.2K visits, and slightly inconsistent but increasing traffic to Toibeatheartfailure.com from its launch in September 2019 to February 2020 with a total of 200.4K visits.

Venkat Kartheek Vale, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The growing incidence of cardiovascular risk due to an aging population and an increasingly unhealthy lifestyle as well as the lack of awareness of the symptomatic difference between heart failure and heart attack are the leading causes of heart failure in India. Novartis has rightly targeted this underserved community through its digital campaigns by increasing education about clear symptoms of heart failure with an aim to spread awareness and recommend the appropriate treatment.”

Novartis’ leading drug for heart failure, Entresto (Vymada in India), is undergoing label expansion studies in chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), post-acute myocardial infarction, and pediatric heart failure in many countries including India. Novartis plans to submit the supplemental NDA for Entresto for treating HFpEF in the US during H1 2020 with approval expected in H2 2020.

Vale concludes: “Novartis’ digital campaigns will help expanding the patient base who require treatment support and this will indirectly help increase the sales of Vymada in India. In addition, with new approvals expected in other cardiovascular (CV) indications, Novartis can utilize its existing digital assets to create awareness of the new diseases thereby positioning itself strongly in the CV space and impact treatment trends in India.”