SKB launches ad campaign for Denavir

Drug Store News, August 30, 1999

SmithKline Beecham is launching a major national consumer outreach campaign for Denavir (penciclovir cream) 1%, the company's prescription antiviral cold sore medication that is currently the only prescription medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of recurrent cold sores in healthy adults. The consumer outreach program includes the product's first national advertising campaign--a $10 million print and TV effort--and a redesigned Internet site, www.denavir.com.

The Denavir Web site will include a Cold Sore Resource Center, information about a $5 rebate program, and an area to register for e-mail updates. The company said the site also will provide details about the "Denavir Take 2 Contest," an essay contest promoted through Denavir advertising, with a grand prize of $10,000. "We wanted to make [the Web site] interactive and informative so people will continue to visit the site," said Deborah Weis, senior manager of consumer communications, SmithKline Beecham Healthcare.