In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), heart disease causes one in four deaths and is expected to double by 2030. The nation’s top non-profit cardiac educational organization, the Emirates Cardiac Society, had tried to raise awareness through one-day programs, but these were reaching only hundreds.

So AstraZeneca stepped in, partnering with the Emirates Cardiac Society. A surprising discovery shaped their ensuing program: there had never been a truly sustained and culturally specific heart health education program in the Middle East. So AstraZeneca’s PR team created Safe@Heart, featuring the first heart health website specific to Arab language and culture, a 12-week online education program designed by an Arab nutritionist, and a highly-localized two-year screening program.

Safe@Heart's screening program has already reached more people than any other UAE cardiac screening program, and Arab nationals have flocked to the 12-week program. Extending the reach to thousands more, Arabic and English media raved about the first cardiac education site in Arabic focused on culturally specific lifestyle challenges. For doctors, Safe@Heart meant they finally had culturally relevant resources to help patients sustain their treatments and lifestyle changes. That's why -- with no simultaneous marketing in UAE – revenue for AstraZeneca’s prescription cholesterol medication , Crestor overtook Lipitor as the #1 cholesterol drug in the UAE. And word keeps spreading. AstraZeneca plans to replicate the Safe@Heart model in other Arab countries, including Oman and Qatar. It all proves that nothing is impossible if you do it from the heart.

In the summer of 2012 we built the Safe@Heart site around a simple motto – Be Safe, Eat Safe, Live Safe. Content in Arabic and English provided heart health and lifestyle tips, while a free 12-week program designed by local nutritionist Dr Wafaa Ayesh, offered in-depth on-site education.

In September 2012, we kicked off our two-year free screening program, visiting primary healthcare clinics and hospitals across UAE. Participants received a personalized report and a free consultation with an on-site physician. On one stop, at the Mall of the Emirates, we asked people to pledge to better heart health for themselves or their loved ones.

Throughout this ongoing program, we’ve grabbed the media spotlight by connecting heart healthy behaviors and Gulf Nationals’ lifestyles and eating habits. Dr Wafaa Ayesh was in high demand, and we created features on eating habits, healthy tips and seasonal topics, such as eating during Ramadan.

Arab and English media were pumped about the first heart health program designed specifically for Gulf Nationals, including the first culturally specific heart health website in Arabic. To date, we’ve logged more than 20 million media impressions, with 70% of coverage in tier-one media. All this attention sent hearts racing. By February 2014, we had screened 5,400, one of the largest heart-health screening program in UAE history. Four thousand people have visited Safe@Heart.com, 1,750 people liked our Facebook page and over 500 participated in our 12-week education program.

Doctors, patients and experts found our resources so helpful that AstraZeneca’s reputation soared. Without any other marketing activities, Crestor overtook Lipitor as the most prescribed cholesterol drug in the UAE. Most importantly, we established a new heart health education model, one that AstraZeneca is now replicating in Oman and will soon do so in Qatar and other Gulf countries.