Amitabh Bachchan partners with GSK for shingles awareness and prevention
- GSK's latest campaign film highlights the painful disease and its risk in adults above the age of 50 and the possibility of prevention.
Mumbai, 29 May 2023: GSK today announced a partnership with veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan to raise awareness about shingles, a painful condition that affects 1 out of 3 adults above the age of 50 years1.
The campaign film evocatively captures the agonising pain caused by shingles and its debilitating impact on the people living with it. It gives an important message that it is possible to protect ageing adults against this pain through vaccination.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan said, "Shingles is known to be painful and thus certainly a setback to Senior Citizens. For prevention against Shingles, I recommend the Senior Citizens to talk to their Doctors"
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus remains inactive in the body after a person recovers from it. When the immunity of the body weakens, it re-activates to cause shingles. More than 90% of Indians by the age of 50 years have this virus in their body and are vulnerable to shingles2.
Dr Rashmi Hegde, Medical Director, GSK, said, "Amitabh Bachchan has been the face of several disease and vaccination awareness campaigns before, and his support has motivated people to take the required action to prevent these diseases. Today, India's ageing population is rising, and we need to make them aware of diseases such as shingles which can impact their quality of life. We believe this will persuade more people to talk to their doctors about protecting themselves or their loved ones from shingles."
The film has been conceptualised and executed by Lowe Lintas. The creative focus is on capturing the intensity of the shingles pain through powerful metaphors and images. The representation of pain is based on scientifically documented patient testimonies.
Commenting on the creative insight for the film, Sagar Kapoor, Chief Creative Officer (Global Brands), Lowe Lintas said, "Our challenge was to find a way to 'show' the unbearable pain of shingles, a sensation that can only be 'felt'. That is why we have made use of imagery such as sharp nails piercing the body or a person getting electric shocks. We do not want to scare people, but we want to make them aware that Shingles can be extremely painful, and it can be prevented."
The video will be released on multiple platforms such as YouTube, Television, Print and other social media.
About GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited
GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited is a subsidiary of GSK plc, a science-led global healthcare company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Visit GSK-India.com for more information.
Media Contact
Ransom D'Souza
Communications and Government Affairs
Email: ransom.a.dsouza@gsk.com
Disclaimer: Issued in public interest by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited. Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400 030, India. Information appearing in this material is for general awareness only. Nothing contained in this material constitutes medical advice. Please consult your doctor for any medical queries, any question or concern you may have regarding your condition.
1 Shingles (Herpes Zoster) | CDC
2 Seroprevalence in India above 40 years - 91% Lokeshwar MR, Agrawal A, Subbarao SD, Chakraborty MS, Ram Prasad AV, Weil J, Bock HL, Kanwal S, Shah RC, Shah N. Age related seroprevalence of antibodies to varicella in India. Indian Pediatr. 2000 Jul;37(7):714-9. PMID: 10906803.
