Pharma TV ads seeming familiar lately? That’s in part because the same brands keep buying TV time. For the second month in a row, AbbVie’s Humira, Gilead Sciences' Truvada and Allergan’s Botox took the first, second and third spots on the top 10 pharma spenders list, according to data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv.
New to the fall list—or newly returned, that is—is seasonal spender Prevnar 13, Pfizer’s pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine. A new commercial continues Prevnar 13’s continuing message, begun last year to people over 65, to get the vaccine so they don’t “miss out on what matters most.”
Regeneron and Sanofi's Dupixent also returned to the top 10 with a September-debuted commercial that features four real patients who are shown skateboarding, cheerleading, playing pool and generally living their lives as a narrator talks over the action. “With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves,” he says as the patients do just that.
The sole never-before brand on the list is AbbVie’s psoriasis treatment and Humira follow-up Skyrizi, which just launched its first ad campaign “Nothing is Everything” in late August after its May market debut.
Overall spending among the top 10 pharma TV spenders dropped in September down to $150 million after a strong August spend of $165 million, according to iSpot.
1. Humira
Movement: Stayed same
What is it? AbbVie anti-inflammatory drug
Total estimated spending: $36.6 million (down from $43.8 million in August)
Number of spots: Seven (Four for arthritis, two for ulcerative colitis/Crohn's, one for psoriasis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Keep Us Apart” (est. $8.1 million)
2. Truvada
What is it? Gilead Sciences' HIV and PrEP drug
Total estimated spending: $22 million (down from $25.7 million in August)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “On the Pill”
3. Botox
Movement: Stayed same
What is it? Allergan neurotoxin treatment for migraines and aesthetic use
Total estimated spending: $14.6 million (down from $20.8 million in August)
Number of spots: Seven (Two for cosmetic, five for migraine)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Own Your Look” (est. $5.3 million)
4. Dupixent
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Regeneron and Sanofi atopic dermatitis injection
Total estimated spending: $14 million
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Roll Up Your Sleeves” (est. $12.8 million)
5. Prevnar 13
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Pfizer's pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine
Total estimated spending: $11.31 million
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Don’t Miss Out on Life: Wedding”
6. Eliquis
Movement: Down from No. 4
What is it? Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb next-gen anticoagulant
Total estimated spending: $11.3 million (down from $16.4 million in August)
Number of spots: Four
Biggest-ticket ad: “Travel” (est. $5.2 million)
7. Ozempic
Movement: Up from No. 9
What is it? Novo Nordisk GLP-1 diabetes med
Total estimated spending: $11 million (up from $8.4 million in August)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Minigolf: Oh, Ozempic!”
8. Jardiance
Movement: Down from No. 6
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim SGLT2 diabetes treatment
Total estimated spending: $10.5 million (down from $11.6 million in August)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Audrey Is on It: Marching Band” (est. $7.5 million)
9. Skyrizi
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? AbbVie IL-23 psoriasis treatment
Total estimated spending: $10.4 million
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: "Feel Free to Bare Your Skin" (est. $4.7 million)
10. Ibrance
Movement: Stayed same
What is it? Pfizer metastatic breast cancer fighter
Total estimated spending: $8.4 million (up from $8.2 million in August)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Your Moment" (est. $7.5 million)