Novartis partners with prominent US health advocacy organizations to launch first social networking platform for heart failure patients and their loved ones

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7968951-novartis-heart-failure-social-networking-platform

"Our commitment to patients goes far beyond medicine, and we are proud to help launch this new, innovative social network for heart failure patients and their loved ones," said Fabrice Chouraqui, President of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. "Together in HF is a collective effort that brings together the expertise and resources of many organizations with a special focus on the unique social and emotional needs of people who are living with heart failure."

Strong social support is important for the overall well-being of a heart failure patient, according to Mary McGowan, CEO, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. "As a founding partner of Together in HF, we strongly believe in helping those living with heart failure manage their emotional and psychosocial health," she said. "It is often these less tangible effects of the condition that are overshadowed by the physical signs. Yet we know that focusing on the whole patient experience greatly contributes to the overall health of the patient."

Together in HF is designed to meet these needs by providing a consistent support system that allows patients and caregivers to seek the information and resources valuable to them, when they need it. Support beyond the peer community is also available through access to emotional support platforms staffed by health researchers and clinicians. Information available on the site is meant to enhance patients' dialogue with their healthcare professionals about their condition.

"Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in caring for patients – whether by helping them understand heart failure better to cope with the disease or by finding a new treatment regimen – and they face the constant resource challenge of providing enough information to their patients," said Cynthia Bither, President, American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN). "Patients and their families benefit from interactions with leading organizations that are there to serve the heart failure community. Together in HF brings these groups together in a way that helps patients and caregivers manage their condition day to day when they are not with their healthcare professionals."

Together in HF will be available as an Android app in the US Google Play store, and the iOS app is expected to be available in the US App store in early 2017. Members can find resources to help them better understand and manage their heart failure, and create personal connections with others who are living with HF. There also is dedicated space to address health and well-being of family caregivers.

Together in HF brings together patient organizations such as Mended Hearts, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and the National Alliance for Caregiving, as well as medical societies such as the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, Association of Black Cardiologists and CardioSmart by the American College of Cardiology. These organizations have come together to lend their expertise in providing emotional support and useful information, and help patients and caregivers manage health challenges.

About Heart Failure
Heart failure, which means the heart does not contract with enough force to pump sufficient blood throughout the body, is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, affecting nearly 6 million Americans.^1,2  It is the leading cause of hospitalization among Americans over the age of 65.³ Heart failure presents a major and growing health-economic burden that currently exceeds $30 billion in the United States, which accounts for both direct and indirect costs.^1,4

Disclaimer
This press release contains expressed or implied forward-looking statements, including statements that can be identified by terminology such as "launch," "ongoing," "commitment," "will," "expected," "can," "growing," or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Group 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 expressed or implied by such statements. These expectations could be affected by, among other things, risks and factors referred to in the Risk Factors section of 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 it in the future.

About Novartis
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation offers a broad range of medicines for cancer, cardiovascular disease, endocrine disease, inflammatory disease, infectious disease, neurological disease, organ transplantation, psychiatric disease, respiratory disease and skin conditions. 

Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis AG, 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, eye care and cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2015, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.4 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 8.9 billion (USD 8.7 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis
For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library
For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected]

References

1. Mozaffarian D, Benjamin EJ, Go AS, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2016 Update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2016; 132:000-000. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000350.
2. Fauci A, Longo D. Disorders of the Heart. Harrison's 'Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, NY; McGraw-Hill Book Co; 2008;4:1442-55.
3. Wier LM, Pfuntner A, Maeda J, et al. HCUP Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-based Care in the United States, 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 2011; 1-3.
4. Heidenreich PA, Albert NM, Allen LA, et al. Forecasting the impact of heart failure in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Heart Fail. 2013;6:606-619.
   Gallagher R, Luttik M-L, Jaarsma T. Social Support and Self-care in Heart Failure. J Card Nurs. 2011; Vol. 26, No. 6, pp 439-445.

SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Related Links

http://www.novartis.com