Menactra DTC: Get the word out?
Aug/05/2008 09:02
Menactra, a vacine, lasts eight to ten years, long enough to take even 11 year olds through the high-risk early college years. (The incidence of meningococcal meningitis drops by about half, to about 1 case in 200,000, in adults, so the CDC does not recommend the vaccine for them as well.) It protects against four of the five strains of meningococcal meningitis, which account for 70% of cases in the U.S. It's not made with live virus, so there is no danger of getting the disease from the shot, nor does it contain the preservative thimerosal. The injection costs $80 to $100, but is covered by most insurers. Side effects are minimal. Some people have pain and swelling at the injection site, and a handful have come down with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a neurological disorder, after receiving Menactra. People who have been diagnosed with GBS are advised not to get Menactra.
That worries some vaccine critics, particularly when Menactra and the HPV vaccine are given together. "This the first time we have ever given adolescents multiple vaccines. Where are the studies that look at whether or not this is a healthy thing to do over the long term?" asks Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit activist group. She notes that the U.S. government now recommends 69 doses of 16 different vaccines for kids between 12 hours and 18 years old -- triple the number in the 1980s.
Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, says that even if a link to GBS were proven, "you have a 20-fold greater chance of getting meningococcal meningitis without the vaccine than of getting GBS from the vaccine, and even if you get GBS, you'll likely recover. ... Statistically, the choice is very clear."
Starting this fall, New Jersey will require sixth graders to be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis. Other states require college students to be vaccinated or sign a waiver saying that they have been informed and opted not to have it.
About 15% to 20% of the population carries the meningococcal bacterium without having any symptoms. But such carriers can transmit it to people who are more susceptible, via sneezing, coughing, kissing or sharing drinks or cigarettes. That's why the disease often hits people living in close quarters like college dorms and sleep-away camps. Teens who are run down and sleep-deprived are especially vulnerable, and the lack of supervision means that symptoms aren't always recognized early.
Sanofi needs to put a human face on DTC ads for this product like the print ad below. They need to have emotion and tell the stories of the young lives that were stopped short because of meningitis and present the facts that now there is a vaccine that can help prevent this disease. If parents are presented with the facts they will come to the decision that this product is right for their children. This is where TV is needed to raise the awareness and the Web can then be used to pull people into the brand.
The DTC ads are good but use a lot more emotion to ensure that people know that this treatment is out there NOW and that means a heavy spend on TV to raise awareness levels.
http://www.menactra.com/MenactraVideo/MenactraVid.html
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