In October's top 10 drug ad spending list, AbbVie once again leads the charts with its immunology drug, Skyrizi, as overall spending on the top 10 drug ads jumped to a near record high for the year.
According to the latest data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.TV for October, Skyrizi once again claimed the top spot, with spending skyrocketing from just over $30 million in September to $45.6 million last month.
In second place, just as it also was in September, is Sanofi and Regeneron’s franchise-in-a-drug Dupixent, which too saw spend on the drug’s ads edge up from $29.7 million in September to just shy of $34 million in October.
In third place and, once again, just as it was in September, is AbbVie’s second big-selling immunology drug Rinvoq, and AbbVie is clearly feeling flushed with cash as it upped spending on commercials for Rinvoq by $6.8 million month over month.
In the fourth position is Otsuka and Lundbeck’s bipolar med Rexulti which, unusually for the drug, was not listed in September in the top 10 but came storming back in October, with spend jumping from $5.4 million to a meaty $21.6 million.
It’s as you were with AbbVie’s bipolar and major depressive disorder drug Vraylar, which remains in fifth place, with spend slightly up by $500,000.
In sixth is Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes drug Jardiance, up one spot from September but, following the spending bump trend, the marketing pair added nearly $6 million to the ad budget for the drug.
Bristol Myers Squibb's new psoriasis therapy Sotyktu moved into the seventh spot, swapping positions with Jardiance from September. While it dropped one spot in the rankings, its spending increased, reaching $15.6 million compared to BMS' $10.6 million spend.
In eighth place, we have a newcomer—Astellas' recently approved menopause hot flashes drug Veozah featuring its first ad campaign. The Japanese pharma spent $15.5 million on this single spot, titled "This Is a Not Flash."
In at No. 9 is GSK’s new RSV vaccine Arexvy, while rounding off the top 10 is Alkermes’ bipolar disorder therapy Lybalvi, which was not in the top 10 in September.
The total spending on the top pharmaceutical drug ads in October was a mighty $221.8 million, one of the highest monthly totals of the year and dwarfing the $164.8 million spent in September.
This is also massively up on the low $146.8 million spent across the top 10 in August and much higher than the $126.3 million in July as Big Pharma appears to be spending freely once again after a summer lull.
Check out the top 10, as complied for Fierce Pharma Marketing by real-time ad trackers at iSpot, below.
1. Skyrizi
Movement: No change
What is it? AbbVie IL-23 immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $45.6 million (up from $30.4 million in September)
Number of spots: Seven (three psoriasis, two Crohn’s disease, two psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Roller Coaster” (est. $18.1 million)
2. Dupixent
Movement: No change
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $33.9 million (up from $29.7 million in September)
Number of spots: 10 (four asthma, six eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Lei Ann and Cristal” (est. $10.1 million)
3. Rinvoq
Movement: No change
What is it? AbbVie JAK inhibitor immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $28.9 million (up from $22.1 million in September)
Number of spots: Four (one eczema, two ulcerative colitis, one arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Mountains” (est. $12.4 million)
4. Rexulti
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Otsuka and Lundbeck bipolar and schizophrenia treatment
Est. national TV ad spend: $21.6 million (up from $5.4 million in September)
Number of spots: Three (two depression, one Alzheimer's)
Biggest-ticket ad: “How Much We Love Her” (est. $13.1 million)
5. Vraylar
Movement: No movement
What is it? AbbVie bipolar and major depressive disorder drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.8 million (up from $16.3 million in September)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Stuck” (est. $9.3 million)
6. Jardiance
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Novo Nordisk injectable GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.4 million (up from $10.5 million in September)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Bus” (est. $16.4 million)
7. Sotyktu
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb psoriasis therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $15.6 million (up from $10.6 million in September)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “She Found It” (est. $10.7 million)
8. Veozah
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Astellas hot flashes in menopause drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $15.5 million (up from $0 in September)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “This Is a Not Flash” (est. $15.5 million)
9. Arexvy
Movement: No movement
What is it? GSK RSV vaccine
Est. national TV ad spend: $14.7 million (up from $9.6 million in September)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Camping Trip” (est. $7.7 million)
10. Lybalvi
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Alkermes bipolar disorder therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.8 million (up from $6.3 million in September)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Help to Push Back” (est. $12.8 million)