To reach the target audience of geographic atrophy (GA) treatment Izervay, Astellas Pharma has turned to the “internet’s grandma,” cookbook author and popular social media creator Barbara “Babs” Costello.
Through the new partnership with Astellas, Costello will help to raise awareness of GA, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration, which most commonly affects people 55 and older. She’ll encourage her followers to undergo regular eye exams for early detection of GA and to talk with their doctors about treatment options like Izervay.
Costello doesn’t have GA and is not an Izervay user, but, as she described in a caption on Instagram—where she posts as “Brunch With Babs”—she’s seen its effects up close.
“My family is everything to me, shaped by the love, laughter and life lessons we’ve shared. Some lessons, like our journey with progressive vision loss due to dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which my sister has, and my father had, have been harder than others,” she wrote in Thursday’s post.
By partnering with Izervay, she went on, “I’ve discovered hope for patients who develop geographic atrophy.”
The caption came alongside a video in which Costello shares what she’s learned about GA, including how it can start with barely noticeable symptoms and ultimately progress into irreversible vision loss.
Throughout the clip, she emphasizes the power of family in encouraging people to stay on top of regular check-ups, adding, “Family traditions—like Sunday dinners around the table, holiday baking with your grandkids—are moments that deserve protection.”
Astellas is “excited” to partner with Costello to raise awareness of GA, especially because it “can progress unpredictably and quickly,” Jake Schumacher, Astellas’ U.S. head of Izervay, said in Thursday’s partnership announcement.
“Unfortunately, once GA has caused vision loss, it cannot be restored, often limiting a patient’s ability to complete routine tasks like reading or even recognizing the faces of family and friends,” Schumacher said. “That’s why we are pleased to support efforts that educate and empower individuals to get ahead of GA.”
Astellas also shared a longer version of the promotional video in the release. Costello starts by talking about the importance of “being more meticulous about your health” as you get older and proceeds to go about a regular day full of errands and time spent with friends and family to demonstrate how easily an eye exam can slot into viewers’ schedules.
She ends by saying that “of course” she was able to find time to make a dessert and visit her eye doctor in the same day, settling in with a plate of strawberry shortcake and remarking, “Delicious as usual! The Babs way works every time.”