In February's top 10 pharma ad spending list, AbbVie claimed both the first and second spots, a trend it has maintained for much of the past 12 months, although the positions of its drugs were reversed.
Based on data from real-time ad trackers at iSpot.TV, AbbVie's JAK inhibitor Rinvoq claimed the top spot last month, surpassing its fellow immunology blockbuster Skyrizi and switching positions from January. Collectively, AbbVie spent $55 million on ads for those two drugs alone in February.
In its customary third place is fierce AbbVie rival Dupixent, the megablockbuster immunology therapy from Sanofi and Regeneron. It ran seven spots last month, though spend dropped more than $10 million month-over-month to $20.3 million.
Astellas’ new hot flash drug,Veozah, which was not listed last month, secured the fourth place with total spending of $16.2 million.
Bristol Myers Squibb's new heart drug, Camzyos, claimed the fifth spot. It was not listed last month and is not commonly seen in these top 10 listings. BMS spent $16 million last month on ads for the drug, up massively from the $5.9 million it handed over in January, to rocket into the top 10.
In the sixth position is another AbbVie drug, this time in the form of its atypical antipsychotic Vraylar that is also becoming a common sight in these lists. It moved up one spot last month, despite spending on its DTCs dropping to $13.6 million in February from $20.3 million in January.
GSK's RSV vaccine claimed the seventh spot, moving up one position. Similarly, Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim's diabetes therapy, Jardiance, secured the eighth spot, also advancing by one position.
Another BMS drug makes its appearance in the top 10, and once again, it's an unusual sight, as it is for the Big Pharma's blockbuster cancer therapy, Opdivo. We haven’t seen that drug in the top 10 for a long time, nor any cancer drug, given that these lists are typically dominated by medicines for a broader patient population.
All the $11.3 million BMS spent on Opdivo was on just one spot for advanced lung cancer, one of several licenses the drug has an FDA label for.
Rounding off the list in tenth place is Amgen’s immunology drug Otezla, with Amgen spending all its money ($10.9 million for the month) on the one spot “Ned’s Movie Date.”
Overall spend across the top 10 pharma companies was just $168.4 million in February, massively down from the $247.8 million we saw in January, though that figure was higher than any single month in 2023.
This is not always that unusual, given the slightly shorter month that is February, and it was still up from February 2023, where total spend was $151.6 million, a figure that was itself a big drop from the $207.4 million the month before.
Spend typically peaks in the second half of the year after a slower start in the first, so we'll have to see if that pattern continues in 2024.
Check out the full top 10 list below as provided to Fierce Pharma Marketing by iSpot.TV.
1. Rinvoq
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s JAK inhibitor immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $30.1 million (down from $38.8 million in January)
Number of spots: Four (One eczema, one arthritis, two UC/Crohn’s)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Mountains” (est. $12.3 million)
2. Skyrizi
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $24.9 million (down from $38.8 million in January)
Number of spots: Eight (four psoriasis, two Crohn’s, two psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Sailing” (est. $11.4 million)
3. Dupixent
Movement: No change
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $20.3 million (down from $30.7 million in January)
Number of spots: Seven (three eczema, four asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Stay Ahead” (est. $7.5 million)
4. Veozah
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Astellas' drug for hot flashes and night sweats
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.2 million (down from $17.1 million in January)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Not Flash” (est. $13.4 million)
5. Camzyos
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb’s drug to treat obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Est. national TV ad spend: $16 million (up from $5.9 million in January)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Mike” (est. $13.2 million)
6. Vraylar
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s atypical antipsychotic
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.6 million (down from $20.3 million in January)
Number of spots: Four
Biggest-ticket ad: “You > Bipolar I” (est. $6 million)
7. Arexvy
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? GSK’s RSV vaccine
Est. national TV ad spend:$12.8 million (down from $19.9 million in January)
Number of spots: Five
Biggest-ticket ad: “RSV Protection” (est. $6.3 million)
8. Jardiance
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s type 2 diabetes therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.3 million (down from $17.9 million in January)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Office” (est. $12.3 million)
9. Opdivo
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb’s cancer immunotherapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $11.3 million (up from $3.6 million in January)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Advanced Lung Cancer” (est. $11.3 million)
10. Otezla
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Amgen’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.9 million (down from $14.7 million in January)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Ned’s Movie Date” (est. $10.9 million)