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Actress and Osteoporosis Advocate Sally Field Salutes Women's Health Innovators and Encourages American Women to 'Rally With Sally' for Bone Health

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In a ceremony today, at the first annual Ladies' Home Journal Health Breakthrough Awards, Sally Field, Oscar-winning actress and advocate for osteoporosis education, honored medical professionals whose breakthroughs have benefited women's health.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060802/NYW117LOGO )

"For me personally and for so many other women, the dedicated efforts of these medical professionals have given us chances that our mothers and grandmothers never had in facing diseases head on, and thriving," said Field, who was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2005. At that time, Field began an active osteoporosis management program and treats her condition with once-monthly Boniva(R) (ibandronate sodium), a prescription medicine for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

A baby boomer who turns 60 in November, Field continues to lead an active life -- including filming her upcoming fall show "Brothers & Sisters," which will air on ABC, and rallying women nationwide to work toward better bone health at http://www.bonehealth.com/ and 877-BoneHealth.

"Already 50,000 Web visitors have joined me online to learn how to treat their bones right. It's important to keep the momentum, so I'm encouraging women to tell their friends and family members about BoneHealth.com. Helping more women learn about osteoporosis and how to maintain good bone health is what it's all about," she said. The Rally With Sally For Bone Health(SM) campaign is sponsored by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline.

Field presented honors to the medical professionals at the Ladies' Home Journal Health Breakthrough Awards in Manhattan. Created to recognize medical professionals whose work has improved women's lives, the awards were given to:

-- Frank Speizer, M.D., and Walter Willett, M.D., both of Harvard Medical School, for their work with The Nurses Health Study, which has examined chronic diseases in women over the past 30 years, including osteoporosis -- Deborah K. Armstrong, M.D., of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, for her research into ovarian cancer -- Susan Cu-Uvin, M.D., of Brown Medical School, for setting up the nation's first HIV/AIDS menopause clinic -- Mary Ann Keenan, M.D., of University of Pennsylvania, for pioneering surgical techniques that relieve musculo/skeletal deformities brought on by stroke -- Etta Pisano, M.D., of University of North Carolina, for research into digital mammograms, and -- Marianne Legato, M.D., of Columbia University, for helping to establish and promote gender-specific medicine.

The Ladies' Home Journal Health Breakthrough Awards are sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.

About Boniva(R) (ibandronate sodium)

Boniva Tablets are contraindicated in patients unable to stand or sit upright for at least 60 minutes, with uncorrected hypocalcemia, or with known hypersensitivity to any component of Boniva. Boniva, like other bisphosphonates administered orally, may cause upper gastrointestinal disorders such as dysphagia, esophagitis, and esophageal or gastric ulcer. Boniva is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment. Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D is important in all patients.

Patients have reported severe bone, joint and/or muscle pain after taking bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis. Additionally, osteonecrosis of the jaw has been reported in patients treated with bisphosphonates; most cases have been in cancer patients undergoing dental procedures.

The most commonly reported adverse events with once-monthly Boniva regardless of causality were abdominal pain (Boniva 150 mg 7.8 percent vs. Boniva 2.5 mg 5.3 percent), hypertension (6.3 percent vs. 7.3 percent), dyspepsia (5.6 percent vs. 7.1 percent), arthralgia (5.6 percent vs. 3.5 percent), nausea (5.1 percent vs. 4.8 percent) and diarrhea (5.1 percent vs. 4.1 percent). For complete prescribing information for Boniva, see contact information at the end of the news release or go to http://www.boniva.com/.

About Roche and GlaxoSmithKline

Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. (Roche) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have a worldwide collaboration (excluding Japan) to promote Boniva for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Roche is one of the world's leading innovation-driven healthcare groups. Its core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche has alliances and research and development agreements with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. For further information, visit http://www.rocheusa.com/.

GSK, one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information, visit GSK on the World Wide Web at http://www.gsk.com/.

Boniva is a registered trademark of Roche Therapeutics, Inc. Rally With Sally For Bone Health is a service mark of Roche Therapeutics, Inc.

For more information or full prescribing information, contact: Roche: Maureen Byrne (973) 562-2203 GSK: Bradd Pavur (919) 483-2839 CONTACT: Barbara Goldberg 212-229-8419 (o) 917-841-5046 (cell) bgoldberg@ccapr.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060802/NYW117LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Roche; GSK

CONTACT: Barbara Goldberg, office: +1-212-229-8419, cell: +1-917-841-5046, bgoldberg@ccapr.com; or Maureen Byrne of Roche, +1-973-562-2203; orBradd Pavur of GSK, +1-919-483-2839

Web site: http://www.bonehealth.com/http://www.boniva.com/http://www.rocheusa.com/http://www.gsk.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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