Sanofi and its blockbuster drug Dupixent has by the thinnest of margins returned to the top spot for TV drug ad spending in October, beating out fierce rival AbbVie and its immunology drug Rinvoq, which topped the charts for the last three months.
That’s according to the latest monthly data from real-time ad trackers iSpot.TV, which showed Sanofi has retaken the crown with its massive $42.6 million spend for Dupixent ads in October, toppling the three-month reign AbbVie’s Rinvoq had enjoyed.
But it was a close-run situation, with AbbVie spending $41.7 million last month on Rinvoq, less than $1 million under Sanofi’s total, as the pair continue their domination at the top.
In third was an unusual suspect in Sunovion’s schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug Latuda, rarely seen in the top 10 spenders and never in the top three. Sunovion spent a huge $22.6 million on ads for the drug last month, nearly three times what it spent in September when it didn't rank in the top 10 spenders.
There’s a more familiar feel for the next few spots, with AbbVie’s other immunology drug Skyrizi down one place to fourth and two diabetes drugs following, in Eli Lilly and Boehringer’s Jardiance and Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic in fifth and sixth, respectively.
In seventh place, and not listed in iSpot’s top 10 last month, is Pfizer’s new immunology drug Cibinqo, which saw its first ad run in the summer.
In eighth place, we see Lundbeck and Otsuka’s antipsychotic drug Rexulti return to the top 10 after a hiatus for the last few months, with spending nearly doubling in October, from $6.9 million in September to $12.9 million in October.
Rounding off the final two is Eli Lilly’s breast cancer drug Verzenio in ninth, coming during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. And taking the final 10th spot was the very familiar face of Novo Nordisk’s second type 2 diabetes drug Rybelsus.
Total spend for the top 10 in October was a huge $206.2 million, by far the largest monthly total of the year and massively up on September’s big total of $164.4 million.
That was itself up nearly $20 million from August’s $143.4 million and a drastic difference from the $120 million monthly average we’ve seen this year. Pharma drug advertisers are seemingly looking to end the year on a strong spending spree.
Check out the top 10 below.
1. Dupixent
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $42.6 million (up from $29.4 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Seven (two asthma, five eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Firefighter and Surfer” (est. $16.4 million)
2. Rinvoq
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? AbbVie immunology JAK inhibitor
Est. national TV ad spend: $41.7 million (up from $29.8 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Five (two eczema, two arthritis, one UC)
Biggest-ticket ad: “River Rafting and Challenge Course” (est. $14.7 million)
3. Latuda
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Sunovion schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $22.6 million (up from $8.2 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Art: Trapped in a Fog” (est. $22.6 million)
4. Skyrizi
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? AbbVie immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $19.6 million (down from $19.8 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Restaurant” (est. $11.5 million)
5. Jardiance
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Type 2 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $15.8 million (up from $8.7 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Who's On It?” (est. $9.5 million)
6. Ozempic
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Novo Nordisk GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $15.6 million (up from $11.8 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Ozempic Tri-zone” (est. $15.6 million)
7. Cibinqo
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Pfizer immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.7 million (up from $7.7 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Moment” (est. $13.7 million)
8. Rexulti
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Lundbeck and Otsuka antipsychotic drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.2 million (up from $6.9 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Auto Pilot” (est. $9 million)
9. Verzenio
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Eli Lilly breast cancer drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $11.9 million (up from $6.8 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Finding My Way Forward” (est. $6.8 million)
10. Rybelsus
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Novo Nordisk GLP-1 drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $10.5 million (up from $8.8 million in Sept.)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Down With RYBELSUS” (est. $10.5 million)