AbbVie’s Humira dropped out of the top spot on the pharma TV ad spenders list in March for the first time in years. Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent took over the No. 1 position, followed by Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus, leaving Humira in third place, according to data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv.
Humira’s downward move has been in the works; spending has been declining over the past few months as AbbVie re-directed some of Humira’s advertising budget from the longtime blockbuster to its new generation of immunology products in rheumatoid arthritis Rinvoq and psoriasis med Skyrizi.
AbbVie shifted advertising and salesforce resources to help boost the newer brands, Elaine Sorg, U.S. head of immunology, said in an interview with Fierce in November.
Other brands back on the list for March were Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Type 2 diabetes drug Jardiance, and Johnson & Johnson’s psoriatic disease med Tremfya. While Jardiance continues its “on it” theme for patients around reducing heart attack and stroke risk, J&J debuted a new set of ads for its psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis treatment.
The new Janssen division ad campaign takes a darker tone, aiming to reflect the real-life pain and struggles of patients with the conditions.
Overall spending may be normalizing after a spendy six months. Total spending for the top 10 pharma TV advertisers in March was $148 million, down from the February total of $165 million, but similar to last March’s $156 million and February’s $149 million, according to the iSpot.tv data.
However, with the advertising market in general still in flux thanks to the pandemic, it’s likely to take months or even longer to settle into any kind of new normal media buying—stay tuned.
1. Dupixent
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2. Rybelsus
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3. Humira
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4. Trulicity
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5. Xeljanz
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6. Rinvoq
Movement: Up from No. 9
What is it? AbbVie JAK inhibitor to treat RA
Total estimated spending: $12.2 million (up slightly from $12 million in February)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Your Mission: Zipline” (est. $10.6 million)
7. Ozempic
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8. Jardiance
Movement: Not on the list last month
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim SGLT2 diabetes treatment
Total estimated spending: $10.5 million
Number of spots: Five
Biggest-ticket ad: “Community Garden” (est. $4.9 million)
9. Enbrel
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10. Tremfya
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