Country music singer Clay Walker today announced the launch of “Stick With It!,” a national public service announcement campaign to educate relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients about the importance of remaining adherent to a disease management routine for the long-term.
Teva Pharmaceuticals and Band Against MS (BAMS) — the charity Walker founded a decade ago to help those living with the disease — have teamed up for this campaign. The kick-off of “Stick With It!” is in conjunction with Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week and will raise money to fund MS research via the campaign Facebook page www.facebook.com/stickwithitRRMS.
For every action the public takes to promote awareness, Teva will make a $1 corporate donation for MS research (up to $25,000). Actions include: liking www.facebook.com/StickWithItRRMS or asking the public to share their favorite “Stick With It!” routine. In addition to supporting a worthy cause, the public can access tips and helpful information on the site such as questions to ask the doctor and the importance of adhering to a routine to manage RRMS.
Research has shown that combining a treatment regimen with lifestyle management including proper diet and exercise can actually reduce the frequency of relapses. But clinical studies show that patients who had gaps in therapy lasting ≥90 days were nearly twice as likely to experience a severe relapse.
“The challenge is that in between relapses, patients with RRMS might not have any apparent symptoms or might even improve. Therefore, patients often ‘feel’ better and opt to go off their medication and deviate from the routine that is working for them,” said, Gabriel Pardo , M.D., Director of the OMRF Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence. “This campaign helps to remind patients that sticking with their routine is the best way to manage their disease, and encourages those who haven’t found what works for them, to work with their doctor to find a routine that does.”
“Stick With It!” reinforces how patient adherence to a management routine that is working for them is critical to the success of managing RRMS. The public service announcements will run throughout the year.
“There’s a lot of information out there about RRMS, and some of it can be confusing,” says Walker. “But it’s important not to give up — it took almost a year of working with my neurologist before I found the routine that worked best, and now that I have found my groove, I stick with it and encourage others to do the same.”
Source: PR Newswire
