Pharma TV ad spending returned to its typical levels in February after an exceptionally robust January start for the year. February’s top 10 brands spent $149 million, down from more than $200 million in January, according to data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv.
However, the spending drops may be here to stay, at least for the near term, with concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn will slow advertising spending in general.
Pharma does have some built in resilience since healthcare won’t grind to a halt like travel or music festivals. However, postponements and cancellations of events like the NBA season and college basketball's March Madness tournament took high-dollar media out of TV ad inventory. Add to that a sharp economic downturn, and TV advertising budgets will likely decline, as past recessions have shown. (We’ll keep following—check in next month to see what happens.)
Looking back at February, the top-spending drugs were again AbbVie’s Humira and Eli Lilly’s Trulicity in the same 1-2 positions as January. New to the chart, and to TV advertising, are two drugs: AbbVie's rheumatoid arthritis drug Rinvoq joins with the launch of its first DTC campaign in February six months after its FDA approval, as does Gilead Sciences’ Descovy, with its first TV ad for PrEP HIV prevention debuting in late January.
The Rinvoq commercial at No. 3 gives AbbVie three of the top five spending TV ads for pharma, with the Illinois drugmaker's next-gen psoriasis med Skyrizi in the fifth spot for February.
1. Humira
Movement: Stayed same
What is it? AbbVie anti-inflammatory drug
Total estimated spending: $26.5 million (down from $40.5 million in January)
Number of spots: Five (One for arthritis, three for ulcerative colitis/Crohn's, one for psoriasis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Body of Proof: Dog Walking” (est. $10.7 million)
2. Trulicity
Movement: Stayed same
What is it? Eli Lilly GLP-1 diabetes drug
Total estimated spending: $19 million (down from $22.6 million in January)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Power: Picnic” (est. $17.6 million)
3. Descovy
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Gilead Sciences next-gen PrEP drug
Total estimated spending: $18 million
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Prep Up”
4. Rinvoq
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? AbbVie JAK inhibitor to treat RA
Total estimated spending: $12.8 million
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Your Mission”
5. Skyrizi
Movement: Stayed same
What is it? AbbVie IL-23 next-gen psoriasis treatment
Total estimated spending: $12.8 million (up from $20.5 million in January)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Nothing is Everything” (est. $10.8 million)
6. Ozempic
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Novo Nordisk GLP-1 diabetes med
Total estimated spending: $12.7 million
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musicians”
7. Biktarvy
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Gilead Sciences 3-in-1 HIV med
Total estimated spending: $12.3 million
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Keep Loving Who You Are”
8. Cosentyx
Movement: Up from No. 10 last month
What is it? Novartis next-gen psoriasis medication
Total estimated spending: $11.9 million (up from $10.9 million in January)
Number of spots: Seven (Five for psoriasis, two for psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: "Four Years and Counting" (est. $5.4 million)
9. Rexulti
Movement: Not on list last month
What is it? Otsuka and Lundbeck’s antipsychotic
Total estimated spending: $11.5 million
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “I’m Fine”
10. Xofluza
Movement: Down from No. 7 last month
What is it? Roche flu treatment
Total estimated spending: $11.4 million (down from $17.1 million in January)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Flu Sucks Everything Out of You”