It’s as things were in January for the first two spots of pharma’s top TV ad spenders. In February again, Lilly’s diabetes drug Trulicity came in at No. 1 with a hefty $45.8 million spend, while Regeneron and Sanofi’s Dupixent sat in second.
Spend on Dupixent ads in fact were down $5.1 million from January's spend, while Lilly pumped just short of $10 million extra into its commercials compared, with its biggest ticket ad being "Father-Son," which cost $19.2 million, according to the real-time TV ad trackers at iSpot.tv.
That makes it two months in a row for Trulicity at the top and a strong start to 2022 for Lilly, as the company is also the biggest climber of the top 10, with its Verzenio ad. The breast cancer drug wasn’t even in January's ranking but came in third last month.
Johnson & Johnson took the fourth and fifth spots with its two big immunology meds Tremfya and Stelara. In fact, Tremfya was up two spots and saw a major spending jump, with $16.6 million more going into its ad budget compared to in January.
In at six was Zeposia, Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunology and multiple sclerosis drug, which was not listed in January. The entire $16.9 million spend came from its ad "Being Me – Travel."
AbbVie’s psoriasis drug Skyrizi took the seventh spot, and the eight and ninth places went to Novartis. Its aging immunology drug Cosentyx made a new appearance in February, and heart failure drug Entresto was at nine.
Rounding out the top 10 list is Novo Nordisk’s diabetes blockbuster Ozempic, though it was down six spots from January.
Total spend for February 2022 hit a meaty $223 million for the top 10, massively up from the $188.1 million we saw during January. This is also a big jump from February’s top 10 in 2021, when its total hit just $165 million.
Check out details and ads for the top 10 below.
1. Trulicity
Movement: No movement
What is it? Eli Lilly diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $45.8 million (up from $36.2 million in January)
Number of spots: Four
2. Dupixent
Movement: No movement
What is it? Regeneron and Sanofi IL-4/13 immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $30 million (down from $35.1 million in January)
Number of spots: Seven (three asthma, four eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Heal Your Skin From Within” (est. $9.8 million)
3. Verzenio
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Eli Lilly’s breast cancer therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $26.9 million (up from $4.5 million in January)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Finding My Way Forward” ($15.3 million)
4. Tremfya
Movement: Up 2 spots
What is it? Johnson & Johnson IL-23 psoriasis drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $25.5 million (up from $16.6 million in January)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Emerge – $5 Per Dose” (est. $18.8 million)
5. Stelara
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s IL-12 and IL-23 immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $22 million (up from $3.2 million in January)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Enough – $5 Per Dose” (est. $19.8 million)
6. Zeposia
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunology and multiple sclerosis drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.9 million (up from $3.3 million in January)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Being Me – Travel” (est. $16.9 million)
7. Skyrizi
Movement: Down 2 spots
What is it? AbbVie antibody targeting IL-23 for psoriasis
Est. national TV ad spend: $15.7 million (down from $17.4 million in January)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Clear Skin” (est. $7.2 million)
8. Cosentyx
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Novartis’ immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.9 million (up from $4.6 million in January)
Number of spots: Two (one psoriasis, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Enough” ($7.6 million)
9. Entresto
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Novartis’ heart failure drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.9 million (up from $7 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Beat Goes On – Water” ($13.9 million)
10. Ozempic
Movement: Down 6 spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.8 million (down from $17.5 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Joe’s Type 2 Diabetes Zone” (est. $12.8 million)