Johnson & Johnson backs new Invokana CV nod with series of awareness tweets

Johnson & Johnson’s new Invokana cardiovascular indication is getting a Twitter assist. J&J is using the social media platform to get the word out about the link between Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risks, launching the paid tweet campaign shortly after its SGLT2 drug was granted approval to reduce the risk of major heart problems.

The awareness campaign @JanssenUS includes promoted tweets and “gifographic” posts on Twitter. The relatively new content form uses information and animated graphics, in this case to highlight facts such as that people with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to have cardiovascular problems and that people with Type 2 are two to three times more likely to die from heart disease.

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Janssen said in a statement to FiercePharma that it’s using the gifographics, “which cut through the clutter five times more than their static counterparts,” to educate both patients and physicians. The Twitter posts and other digital efforts will peak over the next few weeks in recognition of Diabetes Awareness month in November, Janssen said, and will continue into next year.

J&J’s particular indication for Invokana is the first of that kind. But another drug in the class, Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance, was the first diabetes drug to show it could improve CV outcomes back in 2015; it's carried a CV death risk reduction on its label since late 2016. Another SGLT2 competitor, AstraZeneca’s Farxiga, is looking to snag a similar cardiovascular approval.

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“With the recent FDA approval of Invokana as the only oral T2D treatment to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular (CV) death, we believe it’s more important than ever to raise awareness about the CV risk associated with T2D and Invokana’s ability to both lower A1C levels and reduce the risk of these potentially devastating events,” Janssen said in its statement.