Novartis collaborates with pop icon Cyndi Lauper to release new song in honor of World Psoriasis Day

• - "Hope" is inspired by the psoriasis community and Lauper's own experience living with the disease
• - Song and music video are available to stream at SEEMEtoknow.com
• - An estimated 7.5 million people are living with plaque psoriasis in the United States(1)

EAST HANOVER, N.J., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis announced today that Grammy, Tony and Emmy award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and activist Cyndi Lauper has released a new song, Hope, in honor of World Psoriasis Day. Inspired by psoriasis patients and Lauper's own experience living with the disease, Hope is part of the SEE ME campaign, an initiative that celebrates patients' success stories and encourages others living with plaque psoriasis to seek ways to get back to doing the things they want to do.

"I have met many people living with psoriasis and drew inspiration for the song from their stories of struggle, courage, perseverance and hope," said Lauper. "I know first-hand the impact psoriasis can have and my goal is to give a voice to the millions of Americans who may struggle with their psoriasis. We don't need to hide, and we don't need to feel embarrassed."

An estimated 7.5 million Americans are affected by psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory condition which is considered the most common autoimmune disease in the US^1,2. Like many patients, Lauper hid her psoriasis and struggled for many years to find a treatment that worked for her. Now, she is sharing her story to demonstrate the impact that plaque psoriasis has had on her life, and why she saw a dermatologist and made the decision to start treatment with Cosentyx® (secukinumab), the first IL-17A antagonist approved to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis³.

"Plaque psoriasis symptoms like flaking, scaling and bleeding can have a significant impact on a patient's daily life," said Dr. Jeffrey Weinberg, Associate Clinical Professor, Dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City and Lauper's personal dermatologist. "I encourage all people with psoriasis to speak with a dermatologist who specializes in the disease to find a treatment plan that works for them."

"It took me a long time to get to where I am today, but I made it – and so can others who are struggling with psoriasis," said Lauper.

The song and music video for Hope are available to stream on the SEE ME campaign microsite, SEEMEtoknow.com. Additional content includes webisodes featuring Cyndi Lauper and other patients providing a more in-depth look at life with psoriasis.

Cyndi Lauper is a Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning artist with over 30 sterling years and global record sales in excess of 50 million albums. With her first album, She's So Unusual, Lauper won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and became the first female in history to have four top-five singles from a debut album. Since then, Lauper has released ten additional studio albums, been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and celebrated as a New York Times best-selling author. Overall, during her storied music career, Lauper has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, seven American Video Awards and 18 MTV Awards. In 2013, Cyndi Lauper became the first solo woman to win Best original score for her music and lyrics for Kinky Boots. Next, she'll write the score for the Broadway adaptation of the 1988 feature film Working Girl, contribute a song to the score of the Broadway musical Spongebob Squarepants and launch her own fashion line with Home Shopping Network.

About psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common, non-contagious, auto-immune disease that affects more than 125 million people worldwide¹. Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of the disease and appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells¹.

Psoriasis is not simply a cosmetic problem, but a persistent, chronic (long-lasting), and sometimes distressing disease, which can affect even the smallest aspects of people's lives on a daily basis⁴. Up to 30% of patients with psoriasis may have PsA¹. PsA is a condition in which the joints are also affected, causing debilitating symptoms including pain, stiffness and for some people, irreversible joint damage¹. Psoriasis might also be associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and depression⁴.

INDICATION
Cosentyx® (secukinumab) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis that involves large areas or many areas of the body, and who may benefit from taking injections or pills (systemic therapy) or phototherapy (treatment using ultraviolet or UV light, alone or with systemic therapy).

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not use Cosentyx if you have had a severe allergic reaction to secukinumab or any of the other ingredients in Cosentyx. See the Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients.

Cosentyx is a medicine that affects your immune system. Cosentyx may increase your risk of having serious side effects such as:

Infections
Cosentyx may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections.

• Your doctor should check you for tuberculosis (TB) before starting treatment with Cosentyx.
• If your doctor feels that you are at risk for TB, you may be treated with medicine for TB before you begin treatment with Cosentyx and during treatment with Cosentyx.
• Your doctor should watch you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with Cosentyx. Do not take Cosentyx if you have an active TB infection.

Before starting Cosentyx, tell your doctor if you:

• are being treated for an infection
• have an infection that does not go away or that keeps coming back
• have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB
• think you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection such as:
• fevers, sweats, or chills
• muscle aches
• cough
• warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body
• diarrhea or stomach pain
• shortness of breath
• blood in your phlegm
• weight loss
• burning when you urinate or urinate more often than normal

After starting Cosentyx, call your doctor right away if you have any signs of infection listed above. Do not use Cosentyx if you have any signs of infection unless you are instructed to by your doctor.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease
New cases of inflammatory bowel disease or "flare-ups" can happen with Cosentyx, and can sometimes be serious. If you have inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease), tell your doctor if you have worsening disease symptoms during treatment with Cosentyx or develop new symptoms of stomach pain or diarrhea.

Serious Allergic Reactions
Serious allergic reactions can occur. Get emergency medical help right away if you get any of the following symptoms: feeling faint; swelling of your face, eyelids, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat; trouble breathing or throat tightness; chest tightness; or skin rash. If you have a severe allergic reaction, do not give another injection of Cosentyx.

Before starting Cosentyx, tell your doctor if you:

• have any of the conditions or symptoms listed above for infections
• have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
• are allergic to latex. The needle caps contain latex.
• have recently received or are scheduled to receive an immunization (vaccine). People who take Cosentyx should not receive live vaccines.
• have any other medical conditions
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Cosentyx can harm your unborn baby. You and your doctor should decide if you will use Cosentyx.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Cosentyx passes into your breast milk.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the- counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of your medicines to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

How should I use Cosentyx?
See the detailed Instructions for Use that comes with your Cosentyx for information on how to prepare and inject a dose of Cosentyx, and how to properly throw away (dispose of) used Cosentyx Sensoready® pens and prefilled syringes.

• Use Cosentyx exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
• If your doctor decides that you or a caregiver may give your injections of Cosentyx at home, you should receive training on the right way to prepare and inject Cosentyx.
  Do not try to inject Cosentyx yourself, until you or your caregiver has been shown how to inject Cosentyx by your doctor or nurse.

The most common side effects of Cosentyx include: cold symptoms, diarrhea, and upper respiratory infections. These are not all of the possible side effects of Cosentyx. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

Please see the full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide here.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property  protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis
Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 119,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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References

1. National Psoriasis Foundation. Media Kit. https://www.psoriasis.org/sites/default/files/for- media/MediaKit.pdf. Accessed May 2017.
2. Mease PJ, Armstrong AW. Managing patients with psoriatic disease: the diagnosis and pharmacologic treatment of psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis. Drugs. 2014; 74:423-441.
3. Novartis Data on File. Cosentyx Prescribing Information. June 2016.
4. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/204417/1/9789241565189_eng.pdf. Published 2016. Accessed August 9, 2017.

 

SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation