GSK Consumer Healthcare and CVS Health Partner to Support the American Lung Association During Lung Cancer Awareness Month

WARREN, N.J., Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, GSK Consumer Healthcare, CVS Health and the American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE are joining together to help people quit smoking and raise awareness of lung cancer. For every box of Nicorette^® or NicoDerm_® CQ_® purchased at a CVS Pharmacy throughout November, GSK Consumer Healthcare will donate $1 to the American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE (up to $100,000)*. All donations will benefit the American Lung Association and its investment in lung cancer research and patient education.

The partnership aims to educate smokers on the importance of quitting smoking with the help of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and behavioral support. Research shows that quitting cold turkey doesn't work for many smokers – in fact, only 3 to 5 percent of smokers who attempt to quit without support are successful.¹ However, smoking cessation products such as Nicorette^® and NicoDerm_® CQ_® can double a person's chances of quitting successfully.²

"GSK Consumer Healthcare is proud to partner with CVS Health this Lung Cancer Awareness Month to support the American Lung Association and to further our commitment to helping smokers create a successful quit plan," says James Masterson, Marketing Director, Smokers' Health, GSK Consumer Healthcare. "We know quitting smoking is not easy, but we encourage smokers to take the first step towards a smoke-free life with the help of Nicorette^® and NicoDerm_® CQ_® and the proper support."

Smokers can get on track to a healthier life starting with the day they quit. The longer you've been tobacco-free, the risk of smoking-related illnesses decreases.³  In fact, after just ten years of being smoke-free, a former smoker's risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a current smoker's.³  

Pairing NRT products with behavioral support increases chances of successfully quitting smoking as they target the physical and psychological (emotional and mental) aspects of tobacco addiction:

• NRT products, such as Nicorette^® and NicoDerm_® CQ_®, help reduce your cravings and withdrawal symptoms while you adjust to a smoke-free life. They work by delivering lower levels of therapeutic nicotine without the 7,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke.^4**

• CVS MinuteClinic offers a smoking cessation program, which includes a 1-on-1 consultation with a practitioner, an individualized smoking cessation plan and education based on your needs and goals, as well as ongoing coaching and support in your efforts to quit smoking.

• The American Lung Association has been helping people quit smoking for over 35 years through Freedom From Smoking^® available at FreedomFromSmoking.org or 1-800-LUNGUSA. Ranked as one of the most effective programs in the country, Freedom From Smoking has helped over a million individuals quit smoking and is available online, in-person and over the phone.

"CVS Health is proud to partner with the American Lung Association and GSK to fight against lung cancer and provide people with the help they need to quit smoking," said Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health. "We know it can take seven or more tries to quit and as a company that is committed to helping people on their path to better health, we want to provide the support needed and increase awareness of this deadly disease."

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women and men in the United States, and quitting smoking is the best way to reduce your risk of lung cancer," said American Lung Association National President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer. "We are thankful to GSK Consumer Healthcare for its support of our LUNG FORCE initiative that is leading the way for better lung cancer prevention, early detection and treatments."

Customers can visit their local CVS Pharmacy to find the Nicorette^® and NicoDerm_® CQ_® product that's right for them and support the fight against lung cancer. For more information on Nicorette^® and NicoDerm_® CQ_®, visit CVS.com/Nicorette and follow on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-date information.

For more information on the American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE initiative and to make a donation to raise awareness and funding to defeat lung cancer, visit LUNGFORCE.org.

* Purchases made between 10/29/17 – 12/2/17, up to $100,000 donation amount. Promotion ends on 12/2/17 or at $100,000 goal, whichever comes first. Behavioral support program increases chances of success. Read and follow label directions. The American Lung Association does not endorse any product, device or service.

** Use products as directed. Behavioral support increases chances of success.

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, 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.

About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its nearly 9,700 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at CVSHealth.com.

About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. 

About LUNG FORCE
LUNG FORCE is a national initiative led by the American Lung Association to unite women against lung cancer, the #1 cancer killer of women. LUNG FORCE has three priorities: 1) Make lung cancer a cause that people care about – and act on; 2) Educate and empower patients and healthcare providers and 3) Raise critical funds for lung cancer research. The American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE is nationally presented by CVS Health. Find out more at LUNGFORCE.org.

¹ "Shape of the Relapse Curve and Long-Term Abstinence Among Untreated Smokers." Addiction. 2004.
² "Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Quitting Tobacco." American Cancer Society.
³ "Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time." American Cancer Society.
⁴ "Quitting Smoking." Centers For Disease and Control Prevention.

GSK Consumer Healthcare
Joanmarie Goddard
[email protected] 
973.647.2177

Edelman
Jessica Moschella
[email protected]
212.277.3762

SOURCE GSK Consumer Healthcare