Lucemyra Marketing Team
US WorldMeds
Agency Partner: Beacon Healthcare
US WorldMeds Team:
Jason Newton, Director Brand Development
Doug Zink, Director, Marketing
Beacon Healthcare Team:
Adrienne Lee, CSO
Tim Millas, Managing Partner/Chief Creative Officer
Stacey Crowley, Group Account Director
Julia Kust, Account Supervisor
Kaitlin Griffith, Account Executive
Guido Hurst, Creative Director, Art
John Puglisi, Associate Creative Director, Copy
Dorian Demski, Art Supervisor
Selin Bilgin, Sr. Art Director
Alleviating the Opioid Crisis
A major driver of the opioid crisis gripping the U.S. has been opioid withdrawal. A common misconception is that only “addicts” go through withdrawal when they can’t obtain opioids. The truth: Anyone who uses opioids regularly, even when legitimately prescribed opioids for pain relief, will develop physical dependence to them. While no approved non-opioid prescription treatment for the mitigation of opioid withdrawal symptoms was on the market, US WorldMeds had the chance to change that with Lucemyra.
First, the company formed a multi-disciplinary marketing team, led by Jason Newton and Doug Zink. And to extend their reach to PCPs and pain specialists, US WorldMeds also entered into an exclusive agreement with Salix Pharmaceuticals to co-promote the brand. The two companies seamlessly integrated their marketing, sales, medical, legal, and regulatory team members together to form a cohesive and dedicated unit.
Their strategy: Build awareness that opioid withdrawal can occur in any patient who becomes physically dependent after opioid use for more than five days. Withdrawal symptoms were renamed Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (OWS)—elevating their clinical importance—and OWS was characterized as both a barrier to successful opioid discontinuation and a driver of continued opioid use, putting patients at risk of Opioid Use Disorder.
This approach established the need to identify patients at risk of OWS and provide effective ways to help them discontinue opioids and get through withdrawal. Print and banner ads drove PCPs to an unbranded website which provided education on proactively identifying physically dependent patients who will experience OWS when they discontinue opioids and discussing discontinuation options with them.
Along with OWS education and Lucemyra promotion, the launch campaign delivered significant patient support. The branded website offered an interactive “Doctor Discussion Guide” to help patients prepare to discuss OWS, opioid discontinuation, and Lucemyra with their HCP. The LUminate Support Program offered a treatment support app which could help patients get through the withdrawal process while taking Lucemyra. LUminate also offered other educational support, a prescription discount program, and a patient assistance program.
All of these components led to a successful brand launch that has already changed the dynamic of opioid withdrawal management.
