Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology blockbuster Dupixent had been on a mini streak as king of the pharma airwaves but was knocked off its perch in June by AbbVie’s competing drug Rinvoq.
That’s according to the latest monthly report from the real-time TV ad trackers over at iSpot.tv. They found the JAK inhibitor jumped up five spots from its May ranking to push Dupixent down to second among pharma's top 10 spenders on TV ads in June.
AbbVie spent $26.3 million on TV ads for the arthritis and psoriasis med last month, more than double the $12.9 million it spent the month prior.
Most of that spend ($15.1 million) went to its new TV ad “Helicopter”, which went live on May 31 and is the first commercial for its new eczema approval, which should be a big money spinner for the drug.
Sanofi and Regeneron spent about $5 million less on its Dupixent TV ads in June. Coupled with AbbVie’s boost for Rinvoq, that move pushed Dupixent down to second. But it’s as you were at number three, with Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Jardiance remaining in the final podium place for the second month in a row.
In fourth and fifth are two diabetes drugs from Danish pharma Novo Nordisk: the injectable Ozempic in fourth and the tweaked oral GLP-1 version of that drug, Rybelsus, in fifth. The $9.5 million spent for that drug all went to its latest TV ad “Down with Rybelsus.”
In sixth place is Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug Tremfya, down two spots on May with $8.4 million spent, a drop of $4.6 million month-on-month.
In seventh is an unusual entry for HIV treatment Dovato, from ViiV Healthcare, which is typically not seen in this top 10. ViiV's spend on Dovato jumped from $2.3 million in May to $8.3 million in June.
Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug Stelara was in eighth place, up one spot from May, while Sunovion’s schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug Latuda made its second appearance in the top 10, coming in ninth with $8 million spent.
Rounding off the top 10 is the new commercial from AstraZeneca for its diabetes drug Farxiga, which focuses on its fresh approval in chronic kidney disease.
Lundbeck and Otsuka’s atypical antipsychotic Rexulti—which was flying high in May with the second-highest TV spend on the list—completely dropped out of the top 10 in June.
Overall spend across the top 10 also saw its continued weak run in the first half of the year, with spend hitting just $117 million, the lowest number in 2022 so far, down from the $134 million registered in June 2021.
It looked as if this was edging up, with April spend hitting $128.6 million, while in May it was $139 million, but June’s figures have reversed this trend.
Check out the top 10 list below.
1. Rinvoq
Movement: Up 5 spots
What is it? AbbVie’s JAK inhibitor in immunology indications
Est. national TV ad spend: $26.3 million (up from $12.9 million in May)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Helicopter” (est. $15.1 million)
2. Dupixent
Movement: Down 1 spot
What is it? Regeneron and Sanofi’s IL-4/13 immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $19.4 million (down from $25.5 million in May)
Number of spots: Seven (four eczema, three asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Arsalan, Brittany and Kristyr” (est. $5.6 million)
3. Jardiance
Movement: No change
What is it? Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $11.1 million (down from $13.2 million in May)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Meet Ron: On It” (est. $7.4 million)
4. Ozempic
Movement: Up 1 spot
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s injectable GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.5 million (down from $12.9 million in May)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Ozempic Tri-Zone” (est. $8.3 million)
5. Rybelsus
Movement: Up 5 spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 oral diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.5 million (down from $10.8 million in May)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “DOWN With Rybelsus” (est. $9.5 million)
6. Tremfya
Movement: Down 2 spots
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $8.4 million (down from $13.0 million in May)
Number of spots: Six
Biggest-ticket ad: “Emerge: Burning - $5 Per Dose” (est. $3.2 million)
7. Dovato
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? ViiV Healthcare’s HIV drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $8.3 million (up from $2.3 million in May)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Detect This” (est. $7.1 million)
8. Stelara
Movement: Up 1 spot
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $8 million (down from $11.1 million in May)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Move Toward Relief” (est. $6.9 million)
9. Latuda
Movement: Down 2 spots
What is it? Sunovion’s schizophrenia and bipolar disorder med
Est. national TV ad spend: $8 million (down from $11.7 million in May)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Art: Trapped In A Fog” (est. $8 million)
10. Farxiga
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? AstraZeneca’s diabetes and kidney disease drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $7.5 million (up from $7.0 million in May)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “You’re A Target: Park” (est. $7.5 million)