AbbVie has once again taken the lead as the top spender on TV drug advertisements, but, among the top 10 pharmaceutical companies, it appears that all of them are increasing their advertising budgets, reversing the decline in total ad spending observed in the past few months.
According to the latest report from TV ad trackers at iSpot.TV, AbbVie spent $30.4 million in September on advertisements for its IL-23 immunology therapy Skyrizi, securing the top spot on the ad spenders' list. That's a $3.9 million increase from August, when AbbVie was also the top ad spender.
Fierce immunology rival Dupixent, marketed by Sanofi and Regeneron, secured the second spot in September, with the pharmaceutical companies spending $29.7 million on advertising. This was nearly double the $16.9 million they spent in August.
AbbVie rounds off the podium places with its second immunology blockbuster Rinvoq, moving down from the second spot in August to third in September.
In fourth place, with a massive boost in spending, is AstraZeneca’s respiratory therapy Breztri Aerosphere, which was not listed in the top 10 in August. It jumped up the rankings in September thanks to the U.K. Big Pharma spending $16.8 million on ads, up from just $7 million in August.
In the fifth spot is AbbVie once more, this time with its bipolar and major depressive disorder drug Vraylar. However, this represents a drop of two spots from August, with spending also decreasing by $1.1 million.
In the sixth position is Bristol Myers Squibb's new psoriasis therapy, Sotyktu, which dropped one spot from August's rankings. In the seventh position is the perennial top-10 placer, Jardiance, which is Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly's diabetes drug.
In September, Novo Nordisk's injectable diabetes GLP-1 therapy, Ozempic, maintained its eighth position, just as it did in August. Similarly, GSK kept its spending steady on its newly approved RSV adult vaccine, Arexvy, retaining its ninth position from August.
Rounding off the rankings is AstraZeneca’s diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease therapy Farxiga, coming back into the top 10 after just missing out in August.
The total spending on the top pharmaceutical drug ads in September was $164.8 million, up on the low $146.8 million spent across the top 10 in August and much higher than the $126.3 million in July.
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: $30.4 million (up from $26.5 million in August)
Number of spots: Six (three psoriasis, one Crohn’s disease, two psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Roller Coaster” (est. $11 million)
2. Dupixent
Movement: Up two spots
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $29.7 million (up from $16.9 million in August)
Number of spots: 11 (four asthma, seven eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Lei Ann and Cristal” (est. $8.5 million)
3. Rinvoq
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? AbbVie immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $22.1 million (up from $19.5 million in August)
Number of spots: Five (one eczema, two ulcerative colitis, one arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Just Okay: Swim Coach and Baker” (est. $9.6 million)
4. Breztri Aerosphere
Movement: Not listed in August
What is it? AstraZeneca respiratory therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.8 million (up from $7 million in August)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Road Trip” (est. $16.8 million)
5. Vraylar
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? AbbVie bipolar and major depressive disorder drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.3 million (down from $17.4 million in August)
Number of spots: Four
Biggest-ticket ad: “You > Bipolar I” (est. $6.9 million)
6. Sotyktu
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb psoriasis therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.6 million (down from $12.1 million in August)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Feeling of Finding Your Back” (est. $9.4 million)
7. Jardiance
Movement: Up three spots
What is it? Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.5 million (up from $9.4 million in August)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Bus” (est. $10.5 million)
8. Ozempic
Movement: No movement
What is it? Novo Nordisk injectable GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.5 million (up from $9.8 million in August)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Ozempic Tri-Zone: Rock Climbing” (est. $9.4 million)
9. Arexvy
Movement: No movement
What is it? GSK RSV vaccine
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.6 million (down from $9.8 million in August)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “The First FDA-Approved RSV Vaccine” (est. $5.9 million)
10. Farxiga
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? AstraZeneca diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $8.3 million (down from $8.7 million in August)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Front Row Seat” (est. $6.4 million)