UPLIFT YOUR HEART HEALTH WITH HUMOUR THIS WORLD HEART DAY 2018


AstraZeneca collaborates with comedian Dr Jason Leong
to remind Malaysians to take better care of their hearts

Some say laughter is the best medicine, but this World Heart Day 2018, laughter may take you on the path to your doctor – and better heart health. In conjunction with World Heart Day 2018, AstraZeneca Malaysia is working with comedian Dr Jason Leong to remind Malaysians to get their health screened early and regularly, practice healthy habits and listen to their doctors – through a humorous public awareness video.

In the video, Dr Jason Leong plays a sedentary man who abhors exercise, smokes and consumes an unhealthy diet, while he is stalked by the Grim Reaper. One day, he receives a wake-up alarm when he suffers chest pains and is diagnosed with angina. He then turns over a new leaf – quitting smoking, exercising regularly and consuming a healthy diet, much to the disappointment of the Grim Reaper.

“For AstraZeneca, cardiac health falls within one of our main research and therapy areas. We take a combined view of cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases because science continues to uncover commonalities between these diseases. We believe in the importance of addressing overlapping disease areas and risk factors, as shared risk factors are still often not diagnosed or addressed, despite the close associations between these diseases[1],[2]. CVRM diseases kill over 20 million people each year, including many Malaysians who have multiple risk factors, so it is important to spread the message in any way we can, such as using a funny public awareness video by Dr Jason Leong,” said Mr Allen Patino, Country President of AstraZeneca Malaysia.

In conjunction with World Heart Day 2018, the World Heart Federation (WHF) is asking people around the world to commit to caring more for their hearts and the hearts of those around them – by eating and serving healthier meals, exercising more and encouraging others to be more active, and quitting smoking and helping others to quit.

“The WHF has stressed that 17.5 million people die every year from cardiovascular diseases, with this number set to rise to nearly 23 million by 2030[3]. This is especially disheartening if we consider that the WHF also says that 80% of premature deaths from CVD could be avoided if the four main risk factors – tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol – are controlled. In addition, patients also risk their health when they do not take their medication as prescribed by the doctor, or worse, when they stop taking medicines without consulting their doctor,” added Mr Patino.

“As a comedian, I believe in the power of humour to convey messages, and hopefully to help these messages stick. While messages like eating more healthily, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking, are simple and commonly heard, we can also see that Malaysians find these goals very difficult tasks to achieve. Many Malaysians also don’t listen to their doctors when it comes to taking medicines. This practice often has a serious negative impact, so I urge everyone to take medicines according to the doctor’s advice. This World Heart Day 2018, I hope to help my fellow Malaysians achieve better heart health, so take my advice on how to stay healthy!” said Dr Jason Leong.    

To watch the video by Dr Jason Leong, please log on to his Facebook page at https://web.facebook.com/DrJasonLeong/videos/106683830249168/.


About AstraZeneca in Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolic Diseases (CVMD)
Cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases together form one of AstraZeneca’s main therapy areas and platforms for future growth. By following the science to understand more clearly the underlying links between the heart, kidney and pancreas, AstraZeneca is investing in a portfolio of medicines to protect organs and improve outcomes by slowing disease progression, reducing risks and tackling co-morbidities. Our ambition is to modify or halt the natural course of CVMDs and even regenerate organs and restore function, by continuing to deliver transformative science that improves treatment practices and CVMD health for millions of patients worldwide.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory. The Company also is selectively active in the areas of autoimmunity, neuroscience and infection. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

For more information, please visit www.astrazeneca.com and follow us on Twitter @AstraZeneca.




[1] Wang H et al. Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet 2016; 388(10053):1459–544.
[2] Edelman Intelligence Relevance and barriers amongst EU specialists Survey 2018. Document ID: Z2-0050 | Date of preparation: August 2018 | Date of expiry: July 2020
[3] World Heart Federation. About World Heart Day. Available at https://www.world-heart-federation.org/world-heart-day/about/. Accessed 18 September 2018.


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