GSK has launched the first direct-to-consumer (DTC) TV spot for Exdensur, stepping up promotion of an asthma drug that the company is tipping to generate blockbuster sales.
The FDA authorized Exdensur, an IL-5 antagonist, as an add-on maintenance therapy for severe asthma late last year. Exdensur’s twice-yearly dosing regimen sets the product apart from older medicines such as GSK’s own monthly Nucala and AstraZeneca’s bimonthly Fasenra. GSK has estimated Exdensur sales could peak at 3 billion pounds sterling ($4 billion).
Six months into the launch, GSK has started running DTC ads for Exdensur. Called “Carry On,” the ad starts with a close-up of a woman on a beach looking into the camera. The woman looks concerned as a voiceover says, “Managing asthma can keep you second-guessing.”
The woman starts to smile as the voiceover says, “What if you could carry on with fewer attacks?” At that moment, the woman turns and joins her friends who are walking into the sea. The rest of the ad shows a man pushing a child on a swing and a woman shopping. Each person follows the same trajectory, with their initial hesitation giving way to easygoing enjoyment.
The ad, GSK’s first for Exdensur, started running this week, a GSK spokesperson said via email. The focus of the ad reflects the constant planning, second-guessing and crisis management associated with living with severe uncontrolled asthma, the spokesperson said. GSK designed the ad to challenge acceptance of an “exhausting reality [that] has become ‘good enough’ for too many patients.”
GSK has refreshed its website alongside the rollout of the DTC campaign. The updated website includes education about treatment with Exdensur, plus resources and information about GSK’s patient savings programs, the spokesperson said.
The step-up in promotional activity comes at an important moment in the Exdensur launch. About 20% of commercial U.S. patients could access Exdensur as of late April, Nina Mojas, GSK’s president of global product strategy, said on an earnings call that month. Mojas predicted GSK would receive the billing code that would unlock unrestricted access in early July.