Supernus Pharmaceuticals is tasking Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim with shredding down the mountain of misinformation and stigma surrounding women with ADHD in the latest chapter of its “Ms. Represented” marketing push for non-stimulant treatment Qelbree.
Kim, a 26-year-old American snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist, opens up about her journey navigating an ADHD diagnosis in her twenties. This includes finding a non-stimulant treatment that works for her lifestyle in Supernus’ new extension of its Qelbree campaign. Through a series of multi-channel and editorial content, Kim puts a new face on Supernus’ efforts to challenge stereotypes and spotlight the often-overlooked discrepancies in an ADHD diagnosis for women.
Women can often present with inattentive symptoms as opposed to the more overt hyperactive symptoms of ADHD typically associated with boys and men, something that can “mask” these symptoms, meaning many women won’t see a diagnosis until adulthood, according to Supernus. In fact, more than 60% of U.S. women received their ADHD diagnosis in adulthood, compared to 40% of men.
Supernus shed light on the challenges women with ADHD can face in last year’s initial “Ms. Represented” campaign with actress and Qelbree user Busy Phillips, who didn’t realize she had been living with ADHD until her daughter was diagnosed. With Kim now joining the “Ms. Represented” roster, the company hopes to reach an “even younger” audience of adult women, marketing VP Rebecca Lannan, who was named Marketer of the Year at the recent Fierce Pharma Marketing Awards, explained in an interview.
Along with a dedicated campaign website, Kim and her story will be featured in a digital cover story for Gallery Media Group’s style brand Coveteur, which will touch on ADHD education while integrating Kim’s “very personal style” and creativity, Lannan noted. Meanwhile, Gallery Media Group’s women’s lifestyle publication PureWow will spotlight Kim and her Qelbree experience specifically in its “check-in” wellness franchise.
The digital, social media-forward push will continue with Kim’s appearance in a video for Gen Z social media video publisher NowThis’s “Are You Okay?” interview series.
In Kim’s “Are You Okay?” episode, the snowboarder will talk candidly in a conversational format that’s designed to “challenge the outdated perception” of ADHD in women, Lannan said.
Supernus’ Qelbree marketing and the “Ms. Represented” campaign “started a little bit grassroots, and now it’s really gained ground,” Lannan said. Now, as it looks to educate people across a spectrum of ages and demographics, the company is focusing on social channels such as Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, where the younger audience is scrolling.
“We want to capture them where they already are,” Lannan said, referring to the younger audience.
While “Ms. Represented” focuses specifically on women, Supernus’ efforts to close the awareness diagnosis gap in ADHD spreads across genders, with Fox Sports NFL Insider Jay Glazer previously featured in a video series discussing his experience with ADHD and Qelbree. Knowing how both men and women experience ADHD differently is an important part of closing the diagnosis gap for the condition, Supernus emphasizes.
“ADHD is a very prevalent condition, and it’s serious,” Lannan said. “And there’s stigma.”
Qelbree won FDA approval to treat adults with ADHD in 2022, marking a significant expansion from its previous nod in children and unlocking a U.S. adult patient population of about 16 million. Last year, the med picked up $304.7 million in annual net product sales.
In the crowded ADHD treatment market, the drug stands out as a non-stimulant option. Compared to some giants in the ADHD space such as Takeda’s Adderall and Vyvanse (both of which have long gone generic), Qelbree isn’t categorized as a controlled substance in the U.S., a status that offers more flexibility for busy patients like Kim and Phillips.