International campaigns are always adapted locally and follow local guidelines. As a rule, all these materials are ABPI compliant or similar. The materials are only for healthcare professionals and not for public viewing.

In advance of the launch of a new treatment for prostate cancer, Astellas Pharma wanted to get physicians to start thinking differently about how the cancer was commonly treated.

Traditionally, a patient’s prostate cancer has been effectively controlled for many years with hormone treatment. But then, suddenly the cancer will mutate wildly and no longer respond to this treatment. However, as there has been no alternative to hormone treatment, physicians carried on as before, but in higher doses. When Xtandi became available there would be a different, more effective way to control this mutating cancer. We had to get physicians to recognize the need for this change of behaviour and the future need for Xtandi.

In the campaign, the straight part of the bench represents controlled cancer and the wild, tangled part of the bench represents the suddenly mutated cancer.

This international campaign ran throughout Europe and numerous countries around the world, except the US, and included an ad execution, a conference stand and above and below-the-line printed and digital materials.

As an awareness campaign or ‘market preparation’ campaign there are only limited success-related results available.

Doctors were very used to treating prostate cancer in a particular way, and a new treatment was about to launch that would improve that approach. We had to convince them that even an improved version of the traditional method was not as effective as a totally different approach. That it was time to radically re-think the way they treated a mutated prostate cancer.

In the image, the bench represents the course of prostate cancer in the patient’s life. For a long time the cancer continues at a safe, manageable level and then suddenly mutates, becoming dangerous and threatening. The typography in the headline also reflects the course of the cancer, starting as a regular typeface and slowly mutating towards the end of the headline.

This international market-shaping campaign involved an extensive print and digital media plan, roll-out guides for international affiliates and brand books for local affiliates and a congress booth.

One measurable success was the digital banner, which achieved a 30% click through rate - 100x the industry standard

Because this was an educational campaign or ‘market preparation’ campaign that ran in advance of the brand launch, measurable results were not gathered in the same way as with a brand campaign.

However, understanding of how prostate cancer mutates was almost zero at the start of the educational campaign. When the brand campaign began, at the end of the awareness campaign, awareness and understanding of the issues was so high, the educational campaign was considered a major factor in the rapid uptake and success of the brand.

The strategy was focused around 'Changing the rules in prostate cancer'. To convince our target audience that the arrival of a new treatment offering ‘more of the same’ was the an easy option for them, but ultimately not the best choice and what was needed was a different kind of treatment that recognized the changing nature of the disease.

Prostate cancer can usually be controlled, without worsening, for about 10 years by treating with testosterone therapy. Then, suddenly and without warning, the cancer will mutate and grow uncontrollably. At this point, doctors need to treat the cancer in a different way, not by simply doing more of the same.

Treating prostate cancer with testosterone therapy is something that doctors have been doing for a long time and getting them to consider a totally new approach would be difficult. To make things worse, a new, more powerful version of the older treatments was due to launch just before Xtandi. Unless we could convince doctors that a radical new approach was what was needed, when it came to our launch, Xtandi would be seen as irrelevant and they would carry on as before.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths among men worldwide. Tumor mutation will ultimately occur in the majority of men with advanced prostate cancer. These patients have a very poor outlook and few treatment options.