Namzaric-maker Allergan aims hopeful Alzheimer’s message at caregivers

Inspiring hope for Alzheimer’s caregivers is the mission for Allergan's new campaign. A video featuring hanging light bulbs exploding one by one acknowledges that Alzheimer’s is a “thief” of memories and personalities but shows that there are moments of light in battling the disease.

In the ad, an older man surrounded by the light bulbs smiles as a voiceover says, “Hope is found in the smallest of moments that remind you why you do all you do.”

The online effort, called “Hold On To Hope,” targets the 15 million people caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease with the message to keep hoping. A website and Facebook page feature the video, as well as tips and resources for caregivers. The website also includes a link for a treatment option that takes viewers away from the website to the branded page for Namzaric, Allergan’s treatment approved for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s. The drug is a combination of the active ingredients in Eisai’s Aricept and Allergan's Namenda XR. 

RELATED: Allergan broadens Alzheimer's campaign after expanding Namzaric indication

Allergan created the campaign “to support and help caregivers along this difficult journey,” Will Kane, senior VP of marketing for Allergan in the U.S., said in an email interview.

“We at Allergan are all too familiar with the challenges Alzheimer’s caregivers face based on our extensive experience in the Alzheimer’s market. It can sometimes feel like there are no reasons to be hopeful, or even no reasons to fight. We don't believe that,” he added.

Namzaric has had its own branded marketing campaign in the past, featuring caregivers and their parents. But the "Common Bonds" commercials last aired on TV in the summer, according to data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv.

Regarding the awareness campaign, Kane said, "If just one caregiver sees this campaign and feels better able to serve their loved one, not to mention learning practical tips about how to care for themselves, we would consider that a success."

Sales of Namzaric increased to $37 million in the third quarter, up from $14.9 million 2016's third quarter. That jump was "driven by increased demand," Allergan said in a financial filing. Total sales of the drug through the first nine months of 2017 came in at $94 million, up from $38 million for the same time period the previous year.