Being there: Amgen and Novartis roll out first ad campaign for migraine drug Aimovig

The first ad campaign for Novartis and Amgen migraine drug Aimovig celebrates life’s ups and downs—and the idea is that migraine sufferers should get to be there for all of it.

In the new TV commercial, people hug, commute, cry, stargaze and even argue as the voiceover notes: “For the mundane. The awe-inspiring. The heart-racing. The heartbreaking. That’s what life is all about—showing up. Unless migraine steals your chance to say ‘I am here.’ ”

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The “I Am Here” campaign was created with insights gleaned over several years from people with migraines, Novartis spokesman Eric Althoff said in an email. The campaign is running in TV, print and social media, encouraging people to speak to their doctors about Aimovig, which was approved in May and was the first in its class of new CGRP migraine treatments. Aimovig nabbed a key Express Scripts coverage nod earlier this month.

“We aim to highlight those living in the moment, and share real moments a person living with migraine wouldn’t want to miss. In this campaign, you will see people with migraine in not just the big moments and good moments, but also the important small moments of everyday life,” Althoff said.

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Amgen and Novartis’ co-marketed Aimovig was first to the next-gen migraine scene, but Teva's Ajovy and Eli Lilly’s Emgality both nabbed FDA approvals in September. Express Scripts also approved Lilly's Emgality for its formulary, but excluded Ajovy.

Amgen and Novartis have been working on patient support issues with research into migraine's economic, social and emotional effects. The two also co-launched a digital and social media awareness effort last year called “Speak Your Migraine.”

Amgen and Novartis are co-marketing Aimovig under a partnership first struck in 2015 and expanded last April. The companies will co-commercialize the drug in the U.S., with Amgen booking U.S. sales and paying Novartis royalties on them, while Novartis will book ex-U.S. sales and pay Amgen royalties for revenues elsewhere. Amgen has exclusive rights in Japan, and Novartis has exclusive rights in Canada.