AbbVie has secured all three top positions among iSpot.tv's leading drug ad spenders in August, featuring two familiar contenders and one unexpected player. Meanwhile, several newcomers have surged into the top 10, while a prominent name has slipped down the rankings.
AbbVie appears poised to claim the title of 2023's largest drug ad spender, as it secured the first and second positions last month with its immunology duo, Skyrizi and Rinvoq. Notably, the ad spending for both of these medications increased compared to July.
AbbVie also claimed the third spot with an unexpected contender—its bipolar and major depressive disorder drug Vraylar. This marked a two-spot rise from July, displacing Sanofi and Regeneron's Dupixent from the final podium position. Dupixent, which had held the second position the previous month, found itself in an unusual fourth place in August.
In fifth place is Bristol Myers Squibb’s new psoriasis med Sotyktu, with the Big Pharma clearly spending big after not even being in the top 10 in July.
In at No. 6 is GSK’s respiratory drug Trelegy, down two spots from July and the first of two drugs in the top 10 for August for the U.K. Big Pharma.
Eli Lilly's diabetes medication, Mounjaro, secured the seventh position among the top drug ad spenders. The expenditure on Mounjaro advertisements totaled $10.3 million in August, reflecting a notable increase from the $8.3 million spent in July.
In an unusual twist, Novo Nordisk's injectable diabetes drug, Ozempic, was absent from the top 10 in July but made a strong comeback in August, securing the eighth position. Advertising spending for Ozempic surged to $9.8 million, a significant increase from the $7 million spent in July.
GSK is clearly wasting no time in getting the word out about the first-ever approved RSV vaccine, Arexvy. In August, the company spent $9.8 million to advertise the new vaccine, securing the ninth position among the top drug ad spenders. This rapid advertising push comes only two months after receiving the historic FDA approval for Arexvy.
Fall is prime RSV vaccine season, and GSK already has a competitor in Pfizer and its RSV vaccine, which also nabbed an FDA approval mere weeks after GSK's drug. Expect the coming months to see more ads for both shots on the airwaves.
Finally, in tenth place is Jardiance, the diabetes drug from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, down four spots from July but still spending just enough to make the top 10.
The total spending on the top pharmaceutical drug ads in August was $146.8 million, up from $126.3 million in July. However, the August total is still lower than the $163.2 million spent in June. The past three months have witnessed a significant decline compared to May, which marked the peak spending for the year, reaching an impressive $203.1 million.
Check out the top 10, as complied for Fierce Pharma Marketing by real-time ad trackers at iSpot, below.
1. Skyrizi
Movement: No change
What is it? AbbVie IL-23 immunology therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $26.5 million (up from $23.2 million in July)
Number of spots: Five (two psoriasis, one Crohn’s disease, two psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Bare My Skin” (est. $9.3 million)
2. Rinvoq
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? AbbVie JAK inhibitor immunology therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $23.6 million (up from $19.5 million in July)
Number of spots: Four (two ulcerative colitis, one arthritis, one eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Mountains” (est. $10.7 million)
3. Vraylar
Movement: Up two spots
What is it? AbbVie bipolar and major depressive disorder drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $17.4 million (up from $10.6 million in July)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “A Lift” (est. $9.6 million)
4. Dupixent
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron immunology therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.9 million (down from $20 million in July)
Number of spots: 10 (six eczema, four asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Kenny and Mosetta” (est. $5 million)
5. Sotyktu
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb psoriasis therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.1 million (up from $4.8 million in July)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Feeling of Finding Your Back” (est. $11.6 million)
6. Trelegy
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? GSK respiratory drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $11 million (down from $11.5 million in July)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Concert” (est. $5.2 million)
7. Mounjaro
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Eli Lilly GIP and GLP-1 diabetes drug.
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.3 million (up from $8.3 million in July)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “What If” (est. $5 million)
8. Ozempic
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Novo Nordisk injectable GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.8 million (up from $7 million in July)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Family Time” (est. $5 million)
9. Arexvy
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? GSK adult RSV vaccine
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.8 million (up from $0 in July)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “The First FDA-Approved RSV Vaccine” (est. $9.2 million)
10. Jardiance
Movement: Down four spots
What is it? Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.4 million (down from $9.8 million in July)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Bus” (est. $5.6 million)