Intra-Cellular crowned your winner of the Fierce Madness Drug Ad Tournament 2023

Intra-Cellular’s 2022 commercial for its bipolar depression therapy Caplyta “Let in the Lyte” has been crowned this year’s Fierce Madness Drug Ad Tournament winner, beating out GSK and its shingles vaccine spot.

Caplyta’s ad had a strong run throughout the tournament, regularly trouncing its competition and in the final, this was no different as it wiped out GSK’s “Shingles Doesn’t Care: Bubble” spot by 87% to 13%, with Intra’s commercial nabbing just shy of 1,500 votes in the championship round.

One voter summed up a common theme for the final: “The Caplyta ad is powerful. It evokes a feeling...a struggle of the darkness of bipolar depression...but a glimpse of hope for patients. The ad is tasteful and artistic. And the play on "let in the lyte" with the brand name is fantastic.”

Others liked the fact that both ads showed “real life” and “no big-name actors.”

This isn’t Caplyta's first DTC rodeo; back in the summer of 2020, Intra-Cellular ran its “Real Progress” advertising, and in March 2021, a connected “See Progress Differently” campaign that focused on its original 2019 schizophrenia label.

FierceMadness

But after getting the FDA green light for bipolar depression in late December 2021, the pharma in April last year turned its DTC focus on that new, potentially lucrative indication.

This campaign took a detour from the “progress” from its first ad to focus on “letting in the light,” with several patients looking gloomy in the shadows as a narrator talks about how depression can “leave you in a dark place.”

But “what if you could see the signs of hope all around you?” the narrator continues. The ad plays on the Caplyta name, linking the “lyte” to “light” and talking up the drug’s capacity to treat bipolar types I and II, and not just bipolar I as most medicines do.

Caplyta made $249.1 million last year and competes with Allergan’s Vraylar and Sunovion’s Latuda, though analysts see the drug’s safety as an advantage over other drugs that could help drive sales.

Despite coming second, GSK still deserves a lot of credit for its shingles vaccine ad, coming amid a period of increased anti-vaccine sentiment, notably on social media, after the rollout of the COVID vaccines in 2021.

GSK of course tapped into the COVID pandemic for the ad, as it was originally aired in spring 2021, saying that keeping your social distance may help lower the risk of respiratory infections, but this doesn’t help stop shingles, which can lay dormant for decades after a chickenpox infection, to later re-emerge without warning.

It was a clever spot and competing at the time with the focus on new COVID vaccines, and whilst also struggling to get older people into their doctors’ offices to get their shingles shot.

But Caplyta gets the plaudits with its convincing win and one for an ad that deals with a tough mental health condition and gets the mix of reality and optimism of treatment for bipolar depression just right.

Thank you to all of voters over the past three weeks. We will be following up with the winners later this month, and remember to join us again for Fierce Madness next March, as we pit the latest FDA drug names against each other in a battle royale.

 

 

UPDATED Monday, April 3, 8:30 AM ET

VOTING FOR THE FINAL IS NOW CLOSED

After three weeks and four rounds of voting, we are down to your final two in this year’s Fierce Madness Drug Ad Tournament, as the David of Intra-Cellular fights the Goliath of GSK for the championship prize.

In the Final Four Intra’s Caplyta ad, “Let in the Lyte” for its bipolar license trounced Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent ad, “Du More: Kick Boxing,” for its asthma label by a huge margin of 87% to 13 per cent.  

That’s an impressive feat for a small biopharma up against one of the biggest new immunology drugs in the world marketed by two of the largest global pharmas. It’s also impressive for a drug that deals with a mental health condition, and one often overlooked in DTCs that can prove difficult to market with the right mix of empathy and promotion.

One voter said that “the Caplyta commercial is very soothing/flows beautifully and makes the viewer feel the stress relief/hope/happiness that the patient will feel with this medicine,” but that the “Dupixent commercial is fragmented, hard to follow and somewhat stressful.”

Intra finds itself up against another pharma giant in the form of GSK and its shingles vaccine ad: “Shingles Doesn't Care: Bubble” for Shingrix. This spot beat out Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Trulicity and its commercial “Daughter: A1C” but by a far narrower margin than Caplyta, with GSK edging out Lilly by 61% to 39 per cent.

One voter believed that Shingrix’s “message is so simple and easy to understand. It makes it clear that it doesn't matter what you think you are doing to avoid it, it could happen and there is one strong option to look into [it].”

Another voter saw Trulicity as “every other pharma ad with a patient. Nothing unique or different to cut through the marketing/advertising noise and low attention spans.”

“Shingles doesn't care how good Trulicity’s ad was,” added one sardonic voter.

FierceMadness

Both ads from GSK and Intra are worthy finalists, and both interestingly follow similar trends, despite being for very different conditions.

They do not rely on celebrity endorsements (all celeb-based ads were knocked out by the third round this year) and instead focus heavily on patients and their condition in hard-hitting, direct ways.

Voting for the Final Four drug bracket is closed but a new poll is now open for the final and your chance to select the FierceMadness 2023 winner. Remember to please be a good sport—only one vote per round, per person.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday, April 5, to find out whether Intra-Cellular or GSK become your winner. 

Cast your ballots using the poll link below for your finalists by 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 4. Alternatively, you can fill in a bracket here and send a picture to our Twitter account @FiercePharma. Remember to send us your comments for your picks.

Click below to cast your vote.

#Fierce Madness 2023: Finalist Challengers:

Caplyta vs. Shingrix

Caplyta

Ad: Caplyta “Let in the Lyte”
Company: Intra-Cellular
Individuals appear depressed in a dark setting, but their demeanors brighten when they become surrounded by colorful lights and people as the ad asks people to "let in the lyte."

Check out the ad here
 

Shingrix

Ad: Shingrix “Shingles Doesn't Care: Bubble”

Company: GSK

Launched in 2021 when the pandemic was still disrupting social movement, GSK’s hard-hitting “shingles doesn’t care” ad says this disease is dormant within you, and social distancing will not help, but its shingles shot Shingrix can.

Check out the ad here

 

UPDATED Wednesday, March 29, 8:30 AM ET

VOTING FOR THE FINAL FOUR IS NOW CLOSED

We are down to your Final Four; gear up for your next vote, which will choose who goes into the championship decider next week.  

Your Elite 8 bracket saw Intra-Cellular’s bipolar depression therapy Caplyta, and its spot “Let in the Lyte,” once again the winner with the biggest margin of all, annihilating Biohaven’s migraine ad “Nothing Glamorous About Migraines,” featuring Khloe Kardashian for Nurtec, by 91% to 9 per cent.

It was also another easy win for Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology blockbuster Dupixent and its “Du More, Kick Boxing” ad, which in the end dunked Roche’s commercial for its multiple sclerosis treatment Ocrevus 72% to 28 per cent.

We now get to see a big pairing for the Final Four, with the two strongest winners of the last three rounds tipping off against each other as they bid to make it to the final.

Joining the Dupixent and Caplyta ads in the semi-final will be GSK's vaccine ad “Shingles Doesn’t Care: Bubble,” for Shingrix, which will now compete against Eli Lilly’s diabetes therapy Trulicity and its spot “Daughter: A1C.”

Shingrix’s ad beat out Idorsia’s commercial “Taye Diggs Takes On His Insomnia” for its sleep drug Quviviq in the closet contest of the Elite 8 bracket, with GSK winning by 55% to 45%, also knocking out the final celebrity spot, as both Diggs and Kardashian now sit on the side lines.

FierceMadness

One voter said that “Shingrix's messaging is bolder and direct” and while many found the humor in the Quviviq story compelling, the Shingrix ad’s tagline “Shingles doesn’t care” ultimately tipped the scales in GSK’s favor.

Trulicity’s ad, meanwhile, had an easier win against Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug Tremfya and its “Moderate to Severe: Emerge: $5 per Dose” ad, winning by 62% to 38%, with one voter saying simply: “Trulicity tells a great story.”

Another voter however said the “Tremfya commercial is a little scary with the visuals,” relating to its burning imagery on the skin as a visual metaphor for plaque psoriasis.

Voting for the Elite 8 drug bracket is closed but a new poll is now open for the Final Four and your chance to select the FierceMadness finalists. Remember to please be a good sport—only one vote per round, per person.

Don't forget to come back on Monday, April 3, to find out which brands made it through to the final round and your chance to vote for the championship winner.  

Cast your ballots using the poll link below for your finalists by 6 p.m. ET on Friday, March 31. Alternatively, you can fill in a bracket here and send a picture to our Twitter account @FiercePharma. Remember to send us your comments for your picks.

Click below to cast your vote.

#Fierce Madness 2023: Finalist Challengers:

Caplyta vs. Dupixent

Caplyta

Ad: Caplyta “Let in the Lyte”
Company: Intra-Celluar
Individuals appear depressed in a dark setting, but their demeanors brighten when they become surrounded by colorful lights and people as the ad asks people to "let in the lyte."

Check out the ad here
 

Dupixent

Ad: Dupixent “Du More: Kick Boxing”
Companies: Regeneron and Sanofi
Sanofi and Regeneron play on “Du More” to show the vigorous activities asthma patients can still do while using Dupixent.

Check out the ad here.

 

Trulicity vs. Shingrix

Trulicity
Ad: 
Trulicity “Daughter: A1C”
Company: Eli Lilly
A mother smiles as she sees how taking Trulicity is helping her daughter with diabetes. She can work as a busy paramedic and exercise, all with the help of Lilly’s drug.

Check out the ad here.  


Shingrix

Ad:
 Shingrix “Shingles Doesn't Care: Bubble”
Company: GSK
Launched in 2021 when the pandemic was still disrupting social movement, GSK’s hard-hitting “shingles doesn’t care” ad says this disease is dormant within you, and social distancing will not help, but its shingles shot Shingrix can.

Check out the ad here

 

UPDATED Monday, March 27, 7:30 AM ET

VOTING FOR THE ELITE 8 IS NOW CLOSED. 

And then there were eight. Your Fierce Madness Sweet 16 saw some very tight contests with winners emerging on the narrowest of margins, though some were simply outplayed.

The biggest winner was Intra-Cellular’s bipolar depression therapy Caplyta and its commercial “Let in the Lyte.”

It beat out the marketing might that is Johnson & Johnson and its ad “Moderate to Severe,” for its immunology drug Stelara, by a massive margin of 80% to just 20%, with one voter saying Intra’s ad was: “Imaginative, relates to [the] patient, inspires hope and lightness for patients who are experiencing dark, depressive episodes.”

It was however better news for J&J’s last remaining drug ad “Move Towards Relief” for its dermatology treatment Tremfya, which beat out Moderna’s COVID booster vaccine spot.

One voter said that whilst “I simply don't enjoy the visual of the glass in the patient's skin - it is disturbing!” for Stelara, the Moderna commercial was “a little boring […] If you're not actively watching it and paying attention, you'd miss a lot and not really know what it was about.”

Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology blockbuster Dupixent and their ad “Du More: Kick Boxing” also breezed through its second round. After seeing off fierce rival in AbbVie’s Rinvoq and its “River Rafting” ad in the 32-bracket play-off, it has now side-lined Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 diabetes drug Ozempic and its “Tri-Zone” ad in the second round of voting, with a comfortable margin of 61% to 39% and moves into the Elite 8.

“The Dupixent commercial has a more organic feel: the focus is the people in it, and it’s not copy heavy,” said one voter, but noted that “the Ozempic commercial always has text on the screen and just feels more like a normal pharma ad.” Voters also liked the play on words with “Du” from the affix of Dupixent.

While easy wins for Intra-Cellular and Sanofi/Regeneron, things were a lot closer for Roche’s multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus and its spot, “Two Times a Year,” which narrowly beat out the online-only “MU-MAN” ad from Salix for its GI drug Relistor.

The final victory for Ocrevus hit 53% to 47%, though for days this was stuck at 50-50 until the last few hours of voting on Friday.

FierceMadness

Voting for the Sweet 16 drug bracket is closed but a new poll is now open for the Elite 8 and for your chance to select the FierceMadness Final Four. Pick your favorites and spread the word to co-workers and friends. Remember to please be a good sport—only one vote per round per person.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday, March 29, to find out which brands made it through to the next round and your chance to vote on the Final Four.

Cast your ballots using the poll link below for the Final Four winners by 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 28. Alternatively, you can fill in a bracket here and send a picture to our Twitter account @FiercePharma. Remember to send us your comments for your picks.

Click below to cast your vote.

#Fierce Madness 2023: Final Four Challengers:

 

Dupixent vs. Ocrevus  

Dupixent

Ad: Dupixent “Du More: Kick Boxing”
Companies: Regeneron and Sanofi
Sanofi and Regeneron play on “Du More” to show the vigorous activities asthma patients can still do while using Dupixent.

Check out the ad here.

Ocrevus

Ad
: Ocrevus “Two Times a Year”
Company: Roche
Roche uses real multiple sclerosis patients who drive home the simple message that Ocrevus is used just two times a year, all holding up two fingers to the camera.

Check out the ad here
 

Trulicity vs. Tremfya  

Trulicity

Ad: 
Trulicity “Daughter: A1C”
Company: Eli Lilly
A mother smiles as she sees how taking Trulicity is helping her daughter with diabetes. She can work as a busy paramedic and exercise, all with the help of Lilly’s drug.

Check out the ad here.  

Tremfya

Ad: Tremfya “Moderate to Severe: Emerge: $5 per Dose”
Company: Johnson & Johnson
In a raw commercial we see patients with plaque psoriasis suffer as if their disease was burning them, but they can douse the flames with the use of Tremfya. 

Check out the ad here.

 

Caplyta vs. Nurtec 

Caplyta

Ad: Caplyta “Let in the Lyte”
Company: Intra-Celluar
Individuals appear depressed in a dark setting, but their demeanors brighten when they become surrounded by colorful lights and people as the ad asks people to "let in the lyte."

Check out the ad here

Nurtec

Ad: Nurtec “Nothing Glamorous About Migraines”
Company: Biohaven
Biohaven uses star power, tapping Khloé Kardashian to talk about how her migraines were debilitating and took away time she could have spent with her loved ones, but then found relief with Nurtec.

Check out the ad here

 

Shingrix vs. Quviviq 

Shingrix

Ad:
 Shingrix “Shingles Doesn't Care: Bubble”
Company: GSK

Launched in 2021 when the pandemic was still disrupting social movement, GSK’s hard-hitting “shingles doesn’t care” ad says this disease is dormant within you, and social distancing will not help, but its shingles shot Shingrix can.

Check out the ad here

Quviviq

Ad:
 Quviviq “Taye Diggs Takes On His Insomnia”
Company: Idorsia
Idorsia taps Broadway musical star and actor Taye Diggs who talks about his trouble with sleep and how Quviviq has helped.

Check out the ad here.

 

 

UPDATED: Wednesday, March 22, 8:30 AM ET

The #FierceMadness DTC ad tournament is down to the Sweet 16 and already some big players are walking off the court.

The biggest among them is AbbVie’s blockbuster immunology drug Rinvoq, which saw its DTC ad, “River Rafting and Challenge Course,” squarely beaten by fierce rival Dupixent by a margin of 73% to 27%.

Sanofi and Regeneron’s big-selling immunology drug’s commercial, “Du More: Kick Boxing,” clearly felt more grounded to the viewers.

“I particularly enjoy that Dupixent focuses real patients and shares their stories,” said one voter, who echoed others who connected with the stories shared in the ad.

The drugs have been the beneficiaries of the largest TV ad spending in the industry in the last two years. Rinvoq topped last year’s TV drug ad spending list from the trackers over at iSpot.TV, with Dupixent coming on top in 2021 and in a close second in 2022.

This tournament wasn’t to be for AbbVie. The pharma giant has also seen its ad for Skyrizi, “Kayaking,” beaten by Novo Nordisk’s injectable diabetes drug Ozempic and its spot “Ozempic Tri Zone,” leaving big spender AbbVie with no ads left.

“Skyrizi's spot could be like Rinvoq's rafting or Dupixent's kick boxing,” said one voter in our poll. “’Look at me, I'm outdoors!’ Yawn. Ozempic's spot isn't exciting, but the lead actress talks to you and tells her story, which feels different.”

Meanwhile, Pfizer is experiencing the same fate as pharma peer AbbVie. First up, we saw the marketing Goliath pitted against Salix Pharmaceuticals’ David. Pfizer’s “Make Your Move” TV ad for its freshly approved eczema drug Cibinqo lost out to Salix’s online ad for GI drug Relistor and its animated character “MU-MAN.”

One voter summed up the close call: “Cibinqo uses a clever creative device that I appreciate and think most can understand easily, meanwhile the Relistor's got a clever animated character and while not likable to begin with, it turns that around quickly and tells a good story.”  

In the end, that voter went with the Relistor ad, echoing the 52% of voters who also chose MU-MAN over Make Your Move. This repudiation of Pfizer’s ads continued throughout the entire bracket, with the New York pharma seeing its COVID vaccine booster ad "More” lose out by 58% to 42% against Johnson & Johnson’s immunology Tremfya and its ad “Moderate to Severe.”

FierceMadness Sweet 16

“’Emerge Tremfyant’: kudos to that copywriter,” said one voter. “And the Human Torch-type images help.” With Pfizer’s ad, however, “I wasn't sure what they were promoting until the very end,” said one voter, which echoed the sentiment of several other commentators.

This contrasts with Moderna’s COVID booster vaccine ad, “Get boosted this fall,” which—with a narrow margin of 53% to 47%—won out against Otsuka and Lundbeck’s bipolar drug Rexulti and its commercial “Hard Enough."

And it was a full house of loses as Pfizer saw its third and final DTC “Living in the Moment” for cancer med Ibrance easily beaten 81% to a woeful 19% against Intra-Cellular Therapeutics' “Let in the Lyte” for Caplyta.

“Best ad out there, positive, patient focused, and it gives us hope which in this world today we need hope!” said one Caplyta voter.

Voting for the 32-drug bracket is closed but a fresh new poll is now open to select the FierceMadness Elite 8. Pick your favorites and spread the word to co-workers and friends. Please be a good sport—only one vote per round per person.

Don't forget to come back on Monday, March 27, to find out which brands made it through to the next round.

Cast your ballots below for the Elite 8 winners by 6 p.m. ET on Friday, March 24. Alternatively, you can fill in a bracket here and send a picture to our Twitter account @FiercePharma. Remember to send us your comments for your picks.

Click below to cast your vote.

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED FOR THE ELITE EIGHT. 

#Fierce Madness 2023: Elite 8 Challengers:
 

 

LAUNCHED: Monday, March 20, 7:00 a.m.

VOTING FOR THE 32-BRACKET IS NOW CLOSED. 

If it’s March, it must be #FierceMadness, Fierce Pharma Marketing’s annual take on the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament and bracket mania—with a pharma twist.

After focusing on the leading pharma drug names in 2022, this year we’re pitting pharma's advertising campaigns against one another on the road to the Final Four and ultimate championship, which will be revealed Wednesday, April 5. Who will be the winner? That’s up to you.

Most of the campaigns in the running include a TV ad component, and there's a reason for that. While TV has long been a staple in Big Pharma media plans, it has also become the price to play for smaller companies—especially when taking on Big Pharma drugs.

The other reason for more recent TV ads from smaller pharma companies is to build widespread awareness or draw attention to a rare condition or treatment. The top TV drug ad spenders are well represented in the contest, but so are smaller contenders and ones that are focused on connected TVs, i.e., streaming platform use only.

This is how it works: We'll have new matchups for you to vote on each Monday and Wednesday through April 5, until we crown the victor. There are two ways to vote. The first is to print a bracket, choose a winner for each contest, and tweet us a photo to @FiercePharma of your completed picks before Friday, 6 p.m. ET for Wednesday’s picks, and Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET for Monday’s picks.

FierceMadness

You can also directly vote for your choice for all the rounds: Please see the link below for the poll and the bracket. Don’t forget to leave your comments on what you have and haven’t voted for. Was it edgy creative or a serious message for a great product? Maybe it was so bad it was good, or it just made you laugh. We'd love for you to cheer the champs and dis the duds in the comments section on the poll form. Oh, and be a good sport—only one vote per round, please.

The ads are all taken from the last two years, from March 2021 to March 2023, and are specific to branded medicines from biopharma companies.

The first vote is a big one: You have the whole bracket of the 32 drug ads we have picked, and it’s up to you to whittle that down to our Sweet 16. You can vote on the link below and check out the bracket here (PDF). Please make you vote by 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 21. 

Bookmark this page as we'll reveal your Sweet 16 on March 22 and begin the next round of voting. 

Let the Madness begin!

Check out the poll for your voting below. 

#FierceMadness 2023: The 32 bracket challengers.


Rinvoq vs. Dupixent



Ad: Rinvoq “River Rafting and Challenge Course”
Company: AbbVie
Rinvoq users are seen river rafting, engaging in obstacle courses and engaging in fun, high-impact activities.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Dupixent “Du More: Kick Boxing”
Companies: Regeneron and Sanofi
Sanofi and Regeneron play on “Du More” to show the vigorous activities asthma patients can still do while using Dupixent.

Check out the ad here.

 

Skyrizi vs. Ozempic

 

Ad: Skyrizi “Kayaking”
Company: AbbVie
Taking a cue from its Rinvoq river rafting ad, AbbVie doubles down with the water theme, and we see an older man with psoriatic arthritis able to kayak out on the open sea with a younger companion.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Ozempic “Ozempic Tri-zone”
Company: Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk uses a long ad (at 1 minute 15 seconds) to talk up the multiple benefits of its GLP-1 injected diabetes med with a retooled version of “Magic,” the 1974 song by Pilot, with the lyrics changed to “Whoa, oh, oh it’s Ozempic.”

Check out the ad here.

 

Cibinqo vs. Relistor

 

Ad: Cibinqo “Make Your Move”
Company: Pfizer
This ad for Pfizer’s latest dermatology drug focuses on how no matter what you have going on, whether a date or a double shift, you can “get out in front of eczema” using Cibinqo.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Relistor “MU-MAN”
Company: Salix Pharmaceuticals
In an ad for connected TVs only, Salix introduces the animated character “MU-MAN,” a small, pink, mischievous, animated character that represents the patient’s gut.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ocrevus vs. Zeposia

 

Ad: Ocrevus “Two Times a Year”
Company: Roche
Roche uses real multiple sclerosis patients who drive home the simple message that Ocrevus is used just two times a year, all holding up two fingers to the camera.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Zeposia “Being Me: Travel”
Company: Bristol Myers Squibb
Gastrointestinal conditions can be a tricky sell, but BMS puts a positive spin with a father taking his daughter on an adventure and declaring that “UC [ulcerative colitis] won’t stop me.”

Check out the ad here.

 

Rybelsus vs. Verzenio

 

Ad: Rybelsus "Down with Rybelsus"
Company: Novo Nordisk
The theme is ostensibly about getting blood sugar levels down (and not echoing a dystopian line from 1984) but, in reality, focuses on the big issue in diabetes therapy: switching medicines.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Verzenio “Finding My Way Forward”
Company: Eli Lilly
The ad focuses on a woman returning to her office work after finding her way forward with Verzenio after struggling with her “overwhelming” breast cancer diagnosis and being lost in a barren landscape.

Check out the ad here.

 

Jardiance vs. Trulicity

 

Ad: Jardiance “Meet Ron: On It”
Companies: Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim
Jardiance marketing partners Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim want you to meet Ron “who's always on” as his diabetes no longer keeps him down.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Trulicity “Daughter: A1C”
Company: Eli Lilly
A mother smiles as she sees how taking Trulicity is helping her daughter with diabetes. She can work as a busy paramedic and exercise, all with the help of Lilly’s drug.

Check out the ad here.

 

Pfizer's COVID vaccine booster vs. Tremfya

 

Ad: Pfizer’s COVID vaccine booster “More”
Company: Pfizer
A narrator tells a story, in rhyme, about the “normal” things that happen in everyday life with the tagline, “the more you want to do, the more we want to do,” referencing Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Tremfya “Moderate to Severe: Emerge: $5 per Dose”
Company: Johnson & Johnson
In a raw commercial we see sufferers of plaque psoriasis shows their disease as if it were burning them, but they can break off this burning with the use of Tremfya. 

Check out the ad here.

 

Rexulti vs. Moderna’s COVID vaccine booster

 

Ad: Rexulti “Hard Enough”
Companies: Otsuka and Lundbeck
In a hard-hitting ad we see a woman struggling with depression but holding up a smiley face sign. After going to a doctor and taking Rexulti, she can put her fake smile away and reveal her real one.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Moderna’s COVID vaccine booster “Get Boosted This Fall”
Company: Moderna Therapeutics
With an awareness campaign feel (as the booster was not FDA approved when it went live) Moderna uses a quick, no-frills ad to say: “We’re sick of COVID, but we don’t want to get sick with COVID, either” and then urges people to get their boosters.

Check out the ad here.

 

Stelara vs. Latuda

 

Ad: Stelara “Move Toward Relief”
Company: Johnson & Johnson
Playing on Stelara’s licenses in patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, the ad shows a woman confidently pushing flare-ups of these conditions out of her way.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Latuda “Art: Trapped in a Fog”
Company: Sunovion
Sunovion doesn’t pull any punches on the darkness many can feel with depression, with one woman saying her depression “made me feel like I was trapped in a fog,” but using Latuda literally brightens the ad. 

Check out the ad here.

 

Ibrance vs. Caplyta

 

Ad: Ibrance “Living in the Moment”
Company: Pfizer
Pfizer has chosen to show the everyday moments that men and women are able to enjoy despite their breast cancer diagnosis as taking Ibrance is able to help them delay disease progression.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Caplyta “Let in the Lyte”
Company: Intra-Celluar
Individuals appear depressed in a dark setting, but their demeanors brighten when they become surrounded by colorful lights and people as the ad asks people to "let in the lyte."

Check out the ad here.

 

Xiaflex vs. Entyvio

 

Ad: Xiaflex “Bed with a Bump”
Company: Endo
Endo, known for its sardonic campaign for Peyronie's disease, continues the “wonky vegetable” carrot theme as it describes the condition as looking like a “bed with a bump.”

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Entyvio “Reminders”
Company: Takeda
Takeda doesn’t want a patient’s ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease to get them down and talks of the “reminders” of the disease while “you weren’t made for UC or Crohn’s, Entyvio is”.

Check out the ad here.

 

Trelegy vs. Nurtec

 

Ad: Trelegy “Go Triple”
Company: GSK
GSK uses a sports motif to say that asthma “has taken enough” from people and that “going triple,” a play on the 3-in-1 mechanism of Trelegy, can help asthmatics take back control.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Nurtec “Nothing Glamorous About Migraines”
Company: Biohaven
Biohaven uses star power, tapping Khloé Kardashian to talk about how her migraines were debilitating and took away time she could have spent with her loved ones, but then found relief with Nurtec.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ubrelvy vs. Gemtesa

 

Ad: Ubrelvy “Rise to the Challenge” featuring Serena Williams
Company: AbbVie
When you want to rise to the challenge and won't clock out against migraines, tennis legend Serena Williams encourages viewers to use AbbVie’s migraine drug Ubrelvy.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Gemtesa “More Time Here, Less Time There”
Company: Urovant
Overactive bladder can divert your plans where a hike can turn into a hike for the bathroom and a simple reach during bar class can become a reach for pads, but that can be relieved with Urovant’s overactive bladder drug Gemtesa.

Check out the ad here.

 

Shingrix vs. Dovato

 

Ad: Shingrix “Shingles Doesn't Care: Bubble”
Company: GSK
Launched in 2021 when the pandemic was still disrupting social movement, GSK’s hard-hitting “shingles doesn’t care” ad says this disease is dormant within you, and social distancing will not help, but its shingles shot Shingrix can.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Dovato “Detect This”
Company: ViiV Healthcare
Jovon, a nature lover and HIV patient, says that ViiV’s HIV drug Dovato effectively reduces the amount of the virus in his blood.

Check out the ad here.

 

Kisqali vs. Quviviq

 

Ad: Kisqali “Long Live”
Company: Novartis
Novartis focuses on the fact that certain breast cancer patients “live longer on Kisqali” as a grandmother plays with her granddaughter, and a woman gets on with her busy work life.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Quviviq “Taye Diggs Takes On His Insomnia”
Company: Idorsia
Idorsia taps Broadway musical star and actor Taye Diggs who talks about his trouble with sleep and how Quviviq has helped.

Check out the ad here.

 

Sotyktu vs. Keytruda

 

Ad: Sotyktu “Found it”
Company: Bristol Myers Squibb
This spot focuses on two people who have cleared their skin and gained confidence thanks to Sotyktu, the once-a-day pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis which was approved by the FDA last fall.

Check out the ad here.

 

Ad: Keytruda “'Teresa: Family”
Company: Merck & Co.
Teresa's family members give testimony to how important she is to the family and how they'd stand with her while she battled cancer.

Check out the ad here.