Pharma marketers must have missed the memo about the dog days of summer. TV spending by the top 10 pharma advertisers topped $140 million, making the total for July the highest since January, according to data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv.
Disease awareness campaigns were prominent last month, with two marketers debuting in the top 10 group. Merck ($MRK), which began a campaign to promote the importance of HPV vaccinations in June, landed at No. 7, spending $9.9 million split between that HPV ad and an ongoing campaign aimed at encouraging shingles vaccinations for older people. Merck markets Gardasil for HPV and Zostavax for shingles.
Mylan ($MYL) bowed at No. 9 with the second disease awareness campaign, spending a combined $8.5 million on TV ads for the month. It ran its May-debuted “Face Your Risk” peanut allergy awareness ad, along with another long-running and more general allergic reaction awareness TV spot. Mylan markets EpiPen autoinjectors to treat severe allergic reactions.
Among branded advertising, AbbVie’s ($ABBV) Humira continued in the No. 1 spot for July with spending of $34.5 million, spread across seven different TV ads for three different FDA-approved indications.
July was also a big month for diabetes marketers on TV, with total spending of $64 million on TV ads for the month. That category was led by Pfizer’s ($PFE) Lyrica, which maintained the No. 2 spender spot for the third month in a row.
1. Humira
Movement: Stayed the same
What is it? AbbVie anti-inflammatory drug
Total estimated spending: $34.5M (up from $30.1M in June)
Number of spots: 7 (3 for arthritis, 2 for ulcerative colitis/Crohn's, 2 for psoriasis)
Biggest-ticket ad: "Teacher” for ulcerative colitis/Crohn's (est. $12.5M)
2. Lyrica
Movement: Stayed the same
What is it? Pfizer seizure and pain drug
Total estimated spending: $19.6M (up from $11.9M in June)
Number of spots: 4
Biggest-ticket ad: "Coach" (est. $7.4M)
3. Xeljanz XR
Movement: Not on list in June
What is it? Pfizer’s second-line, oral rheumatoid arthritis therapy
Total estimated spending: $15.9M
Number of spots: 1
Ad: "Mother”
4. Entresto
Movement: Up from No. 8 in June
What is it? Novartis ($NVS) heart failure treatment
Total estimated spending: $12M (up from $7.6M in June)
Number of spots: 1
Biggest-ticket ad: “Tomorrow”
5. Toujeo
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Sanofi’s ($SNY) longer-acting insulin
Total estimated spending: $11.9M
Number of spots: 1
Ad: “Journal”
6. Eliquis
Movement: Up from No.7 in June
What is it? Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) anticoagulant
Total estimated spending: $11M (up from $8M in June)
Number of spots: 3
Biggest-ticket ad: "DVT and PE Blood Clots" (est. $6.1M)
7. Merck disease awareness ads (1 for HPV vaccinations and 3 for shingles)
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Unbranded ads (Merck markets HPV vaccine Gardasil and shingles vaccine Zostavax)
Total estimated spending: $9.9M
Number of spots: 4
Biggest-ticket ad: “HPV Vaccination” (est. $7.7M)
8. Victoza
Movement: Up from No. 9 in June
What is it? Novo Nordisk ($NVO) GLP-1 diabetes treatment
Total estimated spending: $8.9M (up from $7.1M in June)
Number of spots: 2
Biggest-ticket ad: "Moment of Truth” (est. $7.2M)
9. Mylan disease awareness ads
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Unbranded ads for anaphylaxis awareness (Mylan markets EpiPen auto-injectors to treat severe allergic reactions)
Total estimated spending: $8.5M
Number of spots: 3
Biggest-ticket ad: “Allergic Reactions”
10. Tresiba
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Novo Nordisk longer-acting insulin
Total estimated spending: $8.4M
Number of spots: 2
Biggest-ticket ad: "Ready” (est. $7M)
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