Biogen is running a campaign aimed at spreading awareness of the next-gen version of its spinal muscular atrophy therapy Spinraza.
The FDA first approved Spinraza (nusinersen) back in 2016, making it the first-ever treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
A decade down the line and Biogen has rejigged the therapy and nabbed a new FDA green light for the high-dose (HD) version of its blockbuster drug.
Now, to help boost awareness of the therapy, Biogen has launched “Ready for More,” a new campaign that “spotlights the patient journey of individuals who have grown up with SMA,” Biogen said to Fierce.
It also specifically looks at how treatments, such as HD Spinraza, “are now helping them to manage their symptoms more effectively than ever before,” Biogen said.
The pharma said the campaign “represents a deliberate shift in the brand’s visual and narrative direction.”
It does this by using images shot from a lower angle to redefine how people view individuals who use assistive devices.
“By doing so, the images depict individuals living with SMA as the active, independent ‘heroes’ they are: thriving in their careers and hobbies, and who are ‘ready for more’ out of life and their treatment,” Biogen said.
The campaign launched Thursday during the Annual Cure SMA Conference, the largest annual gathering for people living with SMA, caregivers and researchers.
This comes at a time when rival therapies from Novartis are putting market pressure on Biogen.
Novartis currently markets its blockbuster gene therapy Zolgensma for certain SMA patients and last year also nabbed an FDA approval for Itvisma, its new version of Zolgensma, to treat older patients with the condition.
Just this week, the Swiss pharma also announced a new addition to its SMA campaigning with “SMAshing My Limits And Going Places.” This project, undertaken with Becoming rentABLE, looks to help SMA patients who want to travel off the beaten path have more accessible accommodations across the U.S.
HD Spinraza also represents Biogen's answer to Roche's Evrysdi, which scored its initial FDA nod in 2020 as a liquid medicine to be given orally or through a feeding tube.
A year ago, the Roche drug won FDA approval in tablet form, adding to its desirable competitive profile.
Last year, Biogen's Spinraza sales came in at $1.55 billion compared with 1.76 billion Swiss francs ($2.11 billion) for Roche's Evrysdi and $1.23 billion for Novartis' Zolgensma.