American Kidney Fund Educational Materials on Gout and Anemia Win 2019 Gold Aster Awards

Materials for renal professionals and consumers recognized for excellence in health care communication

ROCKVILLE, Md. (May 23, 2019) – The American Kidney Fund (AKF) has won two Gold Awards in the 2019 Aster Awards for excellence in health care communication. Social media graphics for AKF's Goutful campaign won a Gold Award in the "Social Media Campaign" category, while AKF's educational poster, Anemia and Kidney Disease, won a Gold Award in the "Poster/Display – Single" category.

Goutful debunks popular misconceptions about gout and helps chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients understand their risk for gout. Before Goutful, very few social media conversations were taking place about gout and CKD. AKF's campaign filled this void using unique and engaging social media graphics to expose common myths about gout and provide information about how gout can affect CKD patients.

AKF's Anemia and Kidney Disease poster was designed for use in 5,000 nephrologists' offices across the United States. The poster details the connection between anemia and CKD, causes of anemia, diagnostic tests for anemia, anemia treatment options and living a healthy lifestyle with anemia.

The Aster Awards is one of the largest, most respected national competitions of its kind, hosted by Marketing Healthcare Today Magazine and Creative Images, Inc. Gold Aster Awards are awarded to entries that receive a score of 95-99, out of a possible 100 — the top 5% of health care communication materials in the U.S.

"These two awards highlight the effectiveness of our educational campaigns in providing clear, important and relevant information to the kidney community and professionals," said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund. "We work every day to help CKD patients live healthier lives, and we are proud that our communications about anemia and gout have won two Gold Aster Awards."

The Goutful campaign is supported by an unrestricted grant from Horizon Therapeutics plc. The Anemia and Kidney Disease poster is supported by Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. The graphics were designed in collaboration with JPA Health Communications.