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GSK and Lifetime® launch original movie to raise awareness about the impact of meningitis
- Pretty Hurts, a new Lifetime Original Movie brought to you by GSK, informs Lifetime’s mom audience about meningococcal disease, known as meningitis
- Partnership is part of GSK's Ask2BSure campaign, which encourages parents of teens and young adults ages 16-23 to start a conversation with their teen’s doctor about meningitis and vaccination
- Hollywood moms of teens, Alyson Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Gellar, team up with GSK and Ask2BSure to help raise awareness
Issued: Philadelphia PA
GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) today announced its sponsorship of Pretty Hurts, a gripping new Lifetime Original Movie and the latest extension of GSK’s Ask2BSure public health campaign. Premiering on June 28, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, Pretty Hurts features a storyline that aims to raise awareness among parents about meningococcal disease, known as meningitis, an uncommon but serious illness that teens and young adults aged 16-23 are at an increased risk for.1,2,3 GSK provided financial and content support for the film, which alerts moms that while many teens have received vaccination against meningitis serogroups A, C, W, and Y, many may be missing meningitis B vaccination.4
The film follows Julie, played by actress Haylie Duff, a relatable mom juggling the demands of family life and a career, while navigating the challenges of parenting a teen in high school. After Julie’s daughter, Lauren, enters a beauty pageant to win scholarship money for college, meningitis suddenly strikes close to home, showcasing the impact of the disease on both their family and an entire community.
As the newest spokesperson for the larger Ask2BSure campaign, Alyson Hannigan, seasoned actress and mom to a 16-year-old, knows parenting teens is a job with no script. Hannigan was moved to join Ask2BSure after hearing the real stories of families impacted by meningitis. GSK honors the experiences of those families with this Lifetime movie.
Hannigan said: “As a mom, I know how hard it can be to stay on top of everything, especially when it comes to my teen’s health, and it is so important to ask the right questions about meningitis risk and vaccination. I’m proud to have joined the Ask2BSure campaign so that I can empower other parents to speak up and ask their teen’s doctor for more information.”4
Pretty Hurts builds off the 2023 GSK and Lifetime co-branded short film, “I Never Thought to Ask: A Mom's Quest for Answers,” which also brought awareness to meningitis B and vaccination.
Cynthia Burman, US Medical Affairs Lead for Neisseria Vaccines for GSK, said: “Working with Lifetime on this longer-form creative and educational film allows us to deliver impactful content to help empower parents in the US. to start the conversation with their teen’s doctor to find out if their teen is missing any meningococcal vaccinations.”4,5
Pretty Hurts is intended for viewers in the US. The movie premieres on Lifetime on June 28 at 8 p.m. ET and will be available for viewing starting June 29 on MyLifetime.com/movies.
ABOUT GSK’s Ask2BSure Campaign
Ask2BSure aims to educate and empower parents of teens and young adults to start meningitis conversations with their teen’s doctors and “ask to be sure” their teen has received vaccination to help protect against all five vaccine-preventable serogroups of meningitis. Vaccination may not protect all recipients. Find out more at Ask2BSure.com.
ABOUT GSK
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at gsk.com.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D “Risk factors” in GSK’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2024.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risk Factors for Meningococcal Disease. Meningococcal Disease. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/risk-factors/index.html#cdc_risk_factors_who-people-at-increased-risk. Accessed May 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meningococcal Disease Surveillance and Trends. Meningococcal Disease. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/php/surveillance/index.html. Accessed May 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical Overview of Meningococcal Disease. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/hcp/clinical/index.html Accessed May 2025.
- Pingali C, Yankey D, Chen M, et al. National Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — National Immunization Survey-Teen, United States, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024; 73:708–714. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7333a1.htm. Accessed May 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meningococcal Vaccination for Adolescents: Information for Healthcare Professionals. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/hcp/vaccine-recommendations/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mening/hcp/adolescent-vaccine.html. Accessed May 2025.
