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Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance Urge People to ‘Tune in to AFib, Take Note of Stroke Risk’

Program Will Educate on The Atrial Fibrillation-Stroke Risk Connection and Raise Up to $30,000 for The National Stroke Association


WEBWIRE

The Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance, the National Stroke Association and iHeartMedia today launched ‘Tune in to AFib, Take Note of Stroke Risk’ to educate the estimated nearly seven million Americans in 2017 living with atrial fibrillation (AFib) not caused by a heart valve problem about their increased risk of stroke. People with AFib are five times more likely to have a stroke than those who do not have the condition, and these strokes are more severe and more likely to be fatal than strokes not associated with AFib. Through music, the program aims to inspire people living with AFib, the most common type of irregular heartbeat, to work with their doctor to help reduce their risk of stroke.

Afternoon host of New York’s Classic Rock Station Q104.3 Ken Dashow knows how important it is for people to ‘tune in’ to AFib. “When one of my closest friends told me he had AFib and explained the associated increased stroke risk, I had to find a way to use my voice and get involved,” said Dashow. “In my more than 30 years of experience in the music industry, I’ve learned that music has a powerful ability to inspire action. Through ‘Tune in to AFib,’ we’re urging people with AFib to take action by talking to their doctor about how to reduce their stroke risk.”

‘Tune in to AFib’ includes an educational website, TuneintoAFib.com, where people can view exclusive concert footage of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, hear from Ken Dashow and learn more about AFib and its associated increased stroke risk. The program also encourages people to take an online quiz to determine how ‘in tune’ they are with AFib and stroke risk. Those who complete the quiz can access an additional exclusive music video and the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance will make a $1 donation to the National Stroke Association for each person who completes the quiz, up to $30,000.

With AFib, the top chambers of the heart (“the atria”) do not contract properly to push blood through the heart. As a result, some blood remains in the top chambers, which can pool, and clots may form. These clots can travel to the brain, blocking or limiting blood flow, and may result in a stroke.

“Many people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem don’t have any symptoms and are unaware that the condition is the cause of approximately 15 percent of all strokes,” said David Frankel, M.D., Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Penn Medicine. “’Tune in to AFib’ encourages these people to increase their knowledge of this serious medical condition, recognize their increased stroke risk and work with their doctor to help reduce this risk.”

To learn more, visit TuneintoAFib.com.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world®

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world’s best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world’s premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.pfizer.com.


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