Pitch

The pitch-mail for the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam

‘For the first time in a very long time, new, approved treatments for Alzheimer's disease are available. And for the first time, these treatments are slowing down this progressive, deadly condition and are offering hope of improvement to millions of people worldwide. New treatment strategies and combination approaches are on the horizon. At the same time, major advances are being made in early and accurate diagnosis and reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

If you would like to learn more about the great progress being made in the field of Alzheimer's and dementia, we would like to invite you to the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), to be held in Amsterdam from 16-20 July. After we receive your registration, we will make sure you get access to all news items and other relevant documents related to AAIC 2023.

News reports on the studies are under embargo, but we have experts from the Alzheimer's Association available for telephone or Zoom interviews. They can answer questions in advance from 5-7 July and on 10-11 July so that you can thoroughly prepare your article(s). Chief science officer Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., will be available on 10 and 11 July.’

Journalistic deepening

We had experts at our disposal who could tell trade and daily journalists more about the following research on Alzheimer's:

Chronic constipation -- 1 bowel movement every 3 days or longer -- could be linked to cognitive decline.

Older adults starting opioids after a diagnosis of dementia are at increased risk of death - up to 11 times higher - especially in the first two weeks of opioid use.

Alzheimer's can soon be diagnosed very easily, through a method similar to a blood test at home or at the doctor's office.

Two novel CRISPR-based gene editing strategies have shown promising results as potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Goals

Our primary goal was to increase the media reach and visibility of news about Alzheimer's and dementia research and highlight the AAIC's position in global research. Our secondary goal was to get the AAIC meeting mentioned.

Target groups

Primary audiences: the general public, health/medical care decision-makers, research community, policymakers and interest groups. Our secondary audiences consisted of the medical professional media and news media with a wide reach.

Rationale

That Alzheimer's exists is well enough known. But what dementia means for patients and those around them, and what advances are being made in Alzheimer's research were in danger of getting snowed under. That is why our campaign placed full emphasis on the KOL and thought leadership approach.

Results

Thanks to the efforts of experts who were able to provide and interpret new insights from research, and thanks to the (almost investigative) journalistic twist we were able to give to the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, we have succeeded in getting a large number of national and regional newspapers, trade journals and film media to update their audiences on the progress that has been made in halting Alzheimer's disease and dementia.