Sue Loungaphay, Director, Consumer Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Horizon Therapeutics
After a stunted initial launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sue Loungaphay led the UPLIZNA consumer marketing team to quickly re-launch the treatment for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare disease affecting approximately 17,000 people in the U.S. Through her work with NMOSD advocacy groups, market research with patients, and an internal patient advisory board, she knew that a lack of NMOSD specialists often meant patients would have to be proactive about advocating for themselves. So she focused the team’s efforts on addressing patients’ unmet needs.
One of the first orders of business was to redesign the UPLIZNA website to deliver a more personalized and support-driven patient-centric site. For patients still undiagnosed but seeking information, the “Is It NMOSD or MS?” page outlines the diagnostic differences between the two diseases and provides education about the blood test that can definitively diagnose NMOSD. For patients and caregivers wondering if UPLIZNA is right for them, a dedicated Patient Stories page features video vignettes of patient ambassadors’ stories. And a treatment comparison chart helped patients understand their options.
The team also developed a monthly virtual patient education program, PREVAIL: Living Beyond the Limits of NMOSD, in which patients and caregivers can tune in to hear from an NMOSD specialist and patient on UPLIZNA. Plus, they launched other programs to help connect patients to other patients and/or nurse advocates who could provide more information about the disease and UPLIZNA.
In Q1 2023, (seven months post-launch) the site had 74,000 visitors, which was an 8% increase over Q4 2022 and a 1,223% increase year-over-year.
