Excedrin® Unveils "The Migraine Experience" - World's First Augmented Reality Migraine Simulator Designed To Foster Empathy For Migraine Sufferers

"Migraines are more than bad headaches – the pulsing pain can be debilitating, and the associated symptoms like nausea and extreme sensitivity to light and sound, really impact people's lives," said Dr. Elizabeth Seng, a New York based psychologist. "Migraines interfere with work, with people's social lives, emotional health and relationships. Unfortunately, migraines are largely misunderstood, often leaving sufferers feeling isolated and stigmatized."

The Migraine Experience is the first simulator designed to give non-sufferers the chance to safely experience symptoms of a migraine including disorientation, aura, sensitivity to light and blurred vision. By using augmented reality, a non-sufferer experiences his or her everyday scenario while the migraine symptoms alter what they're actually seeing or trying to do.

"We created The Migraine Experience to foster a new level of understanding between migraineurs and non-sufferers," said Scott Yacovino, senior brand manager, U.S. Pain Category. "We're simulating the symptoms of a migraine – everything but the pain – because experiencing is believing. Using technology to drive human emotion to help migraineurs feel better understood – allowing non-sufferers, for the first time, to see what it's like to have a migraine."

As one of the first brands to leverage augmented reality technology to conceptualize a health condition, Excedrin® is proud to be driving the category toward fostering a more understanding, empathetic environment for sufferers.

Excedrin® is partnering with Andy Cohen, NY Times Best-Selling Author, TV personality, producer and expert in navigating relationships from housewives to reality stars, to help spread awareness and discuss the impact migraines can have on relationships with friends, spouses and co-workers.

"Growing up with migraines, I experienced firsthand how debilitating an episode can be and how much it can affect relationships with loved ones," said Andy Cohen. "In my experience, both personal and professional, I've seen how migraines can become a third party in relationships – creating tension in, sometimes, already murky waters."

Delivering "A-ha" Moments to Foster Empathy: The Migraine Experience

To bring The Migraine Experience to life, Excedrin^® brought together real sufferers in different types of relationships with non-sufferers – mother/daughter, girlfriend/boyfriend, co-workers and friends.

Each migraine sufferer explained the symptoms they most often experience during an episode, including aura, disorientation, and blurred vision. The symptoms were then replicated for their non-sufferer counterpart, conducted in a controlled environment, using augmented reality technology to alter their experience of everyday life – from riding the subway to going to a restaurant.

The reactions spoke volumes.

Once the non-sufferer experienced what his/her partner goes through during a migraine, their increased understanding led to a reaction full of empathy and love, which, until now, was harder to identify. Some even wished they could "take on" the migraine for their loved one. The relationships, and reactions, are featured in the latest TV commercial, airing across broadcast and digital media properties starting in early April.

Excedrin^® On a Mission 
Excedrin^® has been a leader in head pain relief for more than 50 years. But the brand's dedication to migraine sufferers doesn't stop there. Excedrin® is committed to bringing migraine sufferers the true understanding and empathy they deserve — and now, The Migraine Experience is providing that opportunity for the first time.

Through a national, multi-channel campaign, in-store activations and The Migraine Experience app, where users are able to experience the simulation via Google Cardboard, Excedrin^® is doing all it can to help dispel misconceptions of this pervasive, and at times imperceptible, condition.

Learn more about the Excedrin^® The Migraine Experience campaign and meet the sufferers and volunteers from the campaign at Excedrin.com/Migraine-Experience.

About Excedrin^® Migraine 
The first non-prescription medicine approved by the FDA to treat all the symptoms of a migraine including, pain, nausea and sensitivity to light and/or sound. Excedrin® Migraine is the #1 Neurologist recommended* over-the- counter brand for migraine relief.

Disclaimer 
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements including express or implied discussions regarding potential future sales of Excedrin Migraine. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that Excedrin Migraine will achieve any particular sales levels in the future. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected manufacturing issues; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; competition in general; the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values attributed to the Novartis Group's assets and liabilities as recorded in the Group's consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. 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 GSK Consumer Healthcare 
GSK Consumer Healthcare is one of the world's largest consumer healthcare companies. Our purpose is to help more people around the world to do more, feel better and live longer with everyday healthcare products. We have a heritage that goes back over 160 years. We own some of the world's best loved healthcare brands, including Sensodyne^®, Theraflu^®, Excedrin^®, Nicorette^® and NicoDerm^®CQ^®, Flonase^®, and TUMS^®. These brands are successful in over 100 countries around the world because they all show our passion for quality, guaranteed by science. They are inspired by the real wants and needs of the millions of people who walk into pharmacies, supermarkets, market stalls and go on-line all over the world every day, and choose us first.

Our goal is to build a global, growing business we call a Fast Moving Consumer Healthcare (FMCH) company, dedicated to everyday healthcare with all of the scientific expertise and quality guarantees that demands, working at the speed and with the genuine consumer understanding the modern world expects.

*Among OTC medicine for migraines. Symphony Health Solutions, 2015.

¹ http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/for-migraine-sufferers.html

Media Contact Information: 
Joanmarie Goddard – GSK Consumer Healthcare
[email protected] 
973-647-2177

Jenna Glynn  
[email protected]
212-445-8276

Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmJW8gYIN4E

SOURCE GSK Consumer Healthcare