Cary, N.C., April 23, 2009 - MicroMass Communications, Inc., the leader in behavioral science-based marketing, won a silver DTC National Advertising Award in this year's annual competition honoring excellence in direct-to-consumer communications, one of the newest and most complex areas of pharmaceutical marketing. Winners were announced April 16 at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., and will be featured in the June issue of DTC Perspectives magazine, sponsor of the awards.

Winning in the category of Best Point-of-Care Campaign, MicroMass claimed silver for a program called the Renal Dietitian Tool Kit, developed for Shire in support of Fosrenol^® (lanthanum carbonate), a phosphorous-lowering medication for patients with end-stage renal disease who are undergoing dialysis.  

The Fosrenol campaign evolved around key insights uncovered by MicroMass behaviorists about patients with end-stage renal disease, including: (1) their sense of personal control is a key driver of adherence, (2) they need an ally to support them in their treatment, and (3) they have significant face time with renal dietitians.

MicroMass used these insights to craft a comprehensive educational resource that helps renal dietitians identify each patient's individual barriers to adherence and enhance patients' sense of control by helping them better understand their disease and participate in their treatment.  The kit provides information on disease management, diet, support services and financial assistance, as well as a variety of activities for use in dialysis clinics, including board games, cookbooks and puzzles designed to both entertain and educate patients.

"We're honored to receive this award, and thank DTC Perspectives and the panel of DTC National Advertising Award judges for recognizing our work," said Jay Bigelow, president of MicroMass.  "We also thank Shire for its partnership in making the work possible," he added.