Novartis sponsors consumer canine arthritis education program

Greensboro, N.C.-Novartis just hired country music legend and dog lover, Wynonna Judd to deliver its consumer educational message about freeing dogs from arthritis pain.

The multi-million dollar consumer outreach program began in May. Juddwill lead the "Free From Pain" campaign to coincide with the ArthritisFoundation's National Arthritis Month. The goal is to get dog owners torecognize the signs of canine arthritis pain and schedule an arthritis examwith their veterinarians if those signs appear, the company says.

Judd owns four dogs that have been diagnosed with arthritis and is adoptinga fifth arthritic dog to join her on the campaign. The awareness initiativewill be supplemented with a nationwide tour featuring Dr. Karen Halligan,director of veterinary services at the Los Angeles Society for the Preventionof Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

In addition to the public education program with Judd and Halligan, adirect-to-consumer advertising campaign focused on the everyday pain ofarthritis will support the launch of Novartis' canine arthritis prescriptionmedication.

The direct-to-consumer advertising program is designed to generate almostfour hundred million impressions among the pet owning public via advertisingon such primetime network television shows as My Wife & Kids, King ofQueens, The Guardian, Law & Order SVU and Boomtown, and such early morningtelevision shows as Good Morning America and the CBS Early Show.

"Millions of dogs suffer from this painful, chronic condition, butunfortunately many, many dogs are undiagnosed because owners don't recognizechanges in their dogs' behavior as signs of osteoarthritis pain," saysPaula Stack, vice president of sales and marketing for Novartis Animal Health.