ACCU-CHEK Aviva System Advertising Campaign Shoots and Scores
New commercial and print ads extend the “I Am” concept.

First launched in 2004, the “I Am” campaign for ACCU-CHEK® products features advertisements with real people with diabetes, speaking about themselves. The new television commercial and print ads for the ACCU-CHEK Aviva system continue with the concept, with Chris Dudley at center court.

Dudley is a role model for people with diabetes and without -- a Type 1 diabetic, former NBA Center, and recipient of a Non-Partisan USA Freedom Award for his community service by President George W. Bush. He also is disciplined, determined and passionate about the game of basketball, giving back to his community, and controlling his disease.

“In our advertising, we believe that it’s important to highlight that people with diabetes are people first, and people with diabetes second,” said Nancy Lonsinger, Vice President, , Diabetes Care Marketing, Roche Diagnostics. “Chris really personifies the spirit of the ‘I Am’ campaign because he genuinely demonstrates the potential one can achieve living with diabetes. His involvement and advocacy within the diabetes community is significant, and we are proud that he is part of our team to help people better manage their diabetes and realize their dreams.”

Dudley has remained busy since retiring from the NBA, where he spent 16 years playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trailblazers and the New York Knicks. These days, his energies are focused on The Dudley Foundation, which is dedicated to kids and diabetes and provides educational programs, advocacy and to support diabetes research. Through the foundation, he also established the only basketball camp in the country for children with diabetes – the Chris Dudley Basketball Camp for Kids with Diabetes --outside of Portland, Ore. The camp celebrated its tenth year this summer (www.chrisdudley.org).

“It’s important to me to promote information and education about diabetes, and I believe that this is a great fit. The ACCU-CHEK Aviva system incorporates an easy-to-handle test strip that quickly pulls in the blood sample. The ACCU-CHEK Multiclix lancet device reduces pain with testing, which is critical for people with diabetes,” said Dudley. “I test several times a day and keep a log of my test results and physical activities. Knowing that I have successfully tested my blood sugar is just like scoring a basket or blocking a shot on the basketball court. ”

The television commercials began airing on network and cable channels on August 30. The print campaign for the ACCU-CHEK Aviva system will run in national consumer diabetes and retail consumer publications.

The ACCU-CHEK Aviva system lets people with diabetes test right the first time and make every strip count. The innovative and easy-to-use test strip design is one of the unique aspects of the ACCU-CHEK Aviva system. A wide mouth on the ACCU-CHEK Aviva test strip quickly pulls in the small blood sample (0.6 µL) and is designed to fill the very first time. The test strips are larger and wider than other leading systems, making them easier to handle for patients of all ages. In addition, there are more than 150 internal quality checks built in to the ACCU-CHEK Aviva system to detect and prevent unreliable results. The ACCU-CHEK Aviva system is packaged with the ACCU-CHEK Multiclix lancet device, which has a patented, lancet drum with six preloaded lancets. With no lancets to see or handle, a patented cam-driven design, 11 different depth settings and alternate site testing, the ACCU-CHEK Multiclix lancet device has been proven the least painful testing option1.

About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-intensive healthcare groups. Its core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in Diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 2004, the Pharmaceuticals Division generated 21.7 billion Swiss francs in prescription drug sales, while the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 7.8 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Roche’s Diagnostics Division, with a uniquely broad product portfolio, supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories world-wide.

Roche Point of Care Diagnostics, a business area of Roche Diagnostics, supplies products and systems for near patient diagnostic testing in hospitals and outpatient settings.

Roche Diagnostics’ North American headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Ind. (www.roche-diagnostics.us) For further information, please visit our websites www.roche-diagnostics.com and www.roche.us.


ACCU-CHEK, ACCU-CHEK AVIVA, ACCU-CHEK COMPACT, ACCU-CHEK MULTICLIX, VOICEMATE and SOFTCLIX are trademarks of Roche

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1 Koubek, R.J. (2005). Glucose Monitoring System Design Reduces Barriers to Testing , ACCU-CHEKAviva System and ACCU-CHEKMulticlix lancet device Human Factors White Paper.