Madrigal Pharmaceuticals has installed a 20-foot-tall, 41-foot-wide inflatable liver in a Philadelphia park to mark Global Fatty Liver Awareness Day.
Pennsylvania-based Madrigal, which sells the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) drug Rezdiffra, has created the exhibit to raise awareness of liver health. Visitors walk inside the organ, learning about the different stages of liver disease as they go.
“By bringing people face to face with a giant inflatable liver, the campaign creates an attention-grabbing and memorable way to spark curiosity, increase understanding about liver health and educate people about the risks of fatty liver disease and MASH,” Katherine Lovison, executive director for corporate communications at Madrigal, told Fierce Pharma Marketing via email.
A Madrigal-commissioned survey of 2,095 U.S. adults identified a need for liver health education. The survey, which The Harris Poll conducted, found 35% of respondents believed they can live without a liver.
Seeking to improve knowledge of liver health, Madrigal has enlisted hepatologist Rebecca Loh, M.D., to share her medical expertise at the installation on Thursday and asked former Major League Soccer player Jamie Watson to host the exhibit. Watson is helping to raise awareness because his mother is on the waiting list for a liver transplant.
Philadelphia is the first stop on a national tour for the exhibit. Madrigal will bring its giant inflatable liver to Orlando, Florida, in July. The “MASH Across America” tour also features stops in Washington, San Diego and Pittsburgh, although Madrigal has yet to confirm the dates for those three cities.
Madrigal will assess the success of the tour quantitatively and qualitatively, Lovison said. The biotech will look at levels of community engagement on the tour website, including a page that asks visitors to take a “Liver Health Pledge,” and on its TikTok and Facebook channels. Conversations with attendees and direct feedback from participants will also form part of Madrigal’s assessment of the campaign’s effectiveness.
Rezdiffra sales jumped more than 100% in the first quarter, beating analyst expectations by climbing to $311 million. By the end of March, more than 42,000 patients were on the drug, up 6,000 from the end of last year. In a note to investors last month, TD Cowen analysts said they “remain very bullish on growing fundamental demand.” The analysts forecast Rezdiffra revenues of $1.5 billion for the full year.