In the past few years, COVID-19 has not only dominated medical research and sparked social and political debates but has also been a significant focus for those reading Fierce Pharma Marketing.
In 2023, you, our readers, have continued to show keen interest in how pharmaceutical companies market their COVID-related products. The impact of COVID remains a dominant theme, evident in the top 10 most-read stories for Fierce Pharma Marketing.
But between the lines, there has been a subtle shift in focus to a new area in the form of anti-obesity medicines that we didn’t see in 2022.
That segues us to your most-read story of the year, which is the cultural phenomenon that is Ozempic, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes drug that has been used off-label to help people lose weight.
The drug contains GLP-1 semaglutide, the ingredient in Novo’s anti-obesity drug Wegovy, a therapy that has also grabbed the cultural spotlight in 2023.
This was particularly evident at the Oscars in March hen comedian and TV host Jimmy Kimmel incorporated Ozempic into one of his central jokes. “Everybody looks so great,” he told the audience at the annual gala event. “When I look around this room, I can’t help but wonder, ‘Is Ozempic right for me?’”
The second most-read story brings us back to COVID and Pfizer, a major double act this year, involving both the COVID vaccine and the drugmaker's collaboration with musical artist Pink, drummer, filmmaker and singer Questlove, actor Jean Smart, and Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. They were tapped to promote Pfizer's COVID efforts in an ad released back in January.
Pfizer, which has for the past few years undertaken a soft approach when it comes to COVID promotion, hit the marketing gas pedal this year as it attempted to reverse a huge drop in sales for its vaccines and drug.
However, the efforts didn't work, and the revenue drop continued. In fact, in November, the sales slump compelled the Big Pharma to announce that it would need to make at least $4 billion worth of cuts by the end of 2024 to shore up its COVID losses. This may mean less money in the coffers for big celebrity ads in 2024.
Securing the final podium place for the most-read stories of 2023 is another Pfizer celebrity COVID ad. This time, it features Martha Stewart brandishing a giant sword, urging us to "Kill COVID-19" in a Quentin Tarantino throwback.
At number four, breaking away from the themes of COVID and obesity for the first time, we delve into the realm of "naughty pharmas." Specifically, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Biogen, Daiichi, Lundbeck and UCB take the spotlight. All six were censured by the U.K.’s drug marketing regulatory the PMCPA for breaching its code of conduct, with Novo being hit with particular ire.
At number five, and unsurprisingly, we're back with Pfizer. This time, a new commercial featuring a celebrity—zeroing in on a younger audience by tapping Charlie Puth, a 31-year-old singer with 21 million TikTok followers. Pfizer aimed to appeal to millennials to boost their COVID vaccine uptake.
Moving on to the sixth most-read story, published back in February, it zeroes in on a first-of-its-kind CRISPR gene editing therapy from Vertex and outlines its launch plans for the treatment. This story is particularly timely to revisit, as Vertex secured FDA approval for Casgevy in December, with the biotech now placing a strong focus on the treatment's launch.
The seventh most-read story revolves around a celebrity, but this time it's for Apellis, marking some happy days for its new geographic atrophy (GA) awareness campaign. The biotech tapped Henry Winkler to lead the project as part of Apellis' launch for its newly approved GA medication, Syfovre.
At number eight, there's no other way of saying it: it's Pfizer, it's a COVID ad, and it features a big-name celeb. This time it's NFL star Travis Kelce, who, in a commercial he also shared on social media, sees the Kansas City Chiefs tight end promoting getting your COVID shot while also getting your flu jab.
Returning to obesity drugs for the ninth most-read story, a new survey of 100 U.S. doctors who prescribe weight loss meds revealed that more than 75% consider the new GLP-1 drugs from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk as "paradigm-shifting." But while optimistic, these docs also had “significant concerns” when it comes to the cost of these new therapies, as well as patient eligibility for coverage and long-term safety risks.
For the tenth and final biggest story of the year, we circle back to Pfizer. This time, it's not about celebrities or ads, but rather about how the pharma, against the tide of its generally conservative digital media playbook, decided to post a meme on X (then Twitter), pushing back against the online abuse it received regarding its COVID vaccines.
“Wouldn't it be great if a few internet searches could land you a PhD? Thank goodness for real scientists,” its official X account said, with the meme image of a man at a laptop with the statement: “Incredible! Area man now full-fledged scientist thanks to one internet search.”
Thank you for reading us this year, and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2024.