AbbVie’s Skyrizi was responsible for the highest TV advertising outlay in pharma in most months of 2024, but 2025 is starting off on a very different note.
According to iSpot.TV’s analysis of January TV drug ad spending data, Novartis’ prostate cancer drug Pluvicto swooped in to take the No. 1 spot on the list, with more than $47 million spent pushing just one commercial for the med. The aptly named “Perseverance” ad previously landed Pluvicto the fifth spot on December’s list and seventh in November, its only appearances on the monthly top 10 lists last year.
Less surprising, however, was January’s second-place finisher: Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, which held the same position the previous month.
AbbVie’s two immunology mainstays, Rinvoq and Skyrizi, which often took the top two spending spots throughout 2024, fell to third and fourth, respectively, this time around. With $42.5 million behind it, Rinvoq edged out its sibling’s $34 million in monthly spending.
Skyrizi’s three-spot slip comes as something of a shock, fresh off its taking the crown for all of 2024—its third time in a row at the top of the annual TV spending rankings.
Close on Skyrizi’s tail was Dupixent, as Sanofi and Regeneron threw $32 million behind eight ads for the immunology med, bumping it from sixth place in December to fifth last month.
Like AbbVie’s duo, Novo Nordisk’s pair of GLP-1 meds also saw their TV ad spending slip in January. Each of the drugs fell three spots from their December seats: Obesity-focused Wegovy took sixth place, while diabetes treatment Ozempic landed in 10th, with $31 million and $14.2 million in ad spending, respectively.
The lower half of January’s top 10 featured two newcomers that didn’t place on December’s ranking at all. Lundbeck and Otsuka’s Rexulti reappeared in seventh place after taking eighth in November. And in ninth place for January, Intra-Cellular’s schizophrenia and bipolar depression treatment Caplyta found its way back to the list for the first time since June, thanks to nearly $15 million put behind its long-standing “Let in the Lyte” campaign.
Rounding out the month’s top 10 was Jardiance, Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s treatment for Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. With $20.8 million, it rose two spots month over month to take eighth place, ahead of Caplyta and Ozempic.
The numbers mark an extremely strong start for 2025, with a total of $302.5 million poured into TV advertising in January for the top 10 drugs—up from $274.4 million in December and higher than any of 2024’s single-month totals, none of which crossed the $300 million mark.
Below, find the full data for January’s 10 biggest pharma ad spenders as compiled by iSpot.TV.
1. Pluvicto
Movement: Up four spots
What is it? Novartis’ prostate cancer drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $47.2 million (up from $31.7 million in December)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Perseverance” (est. $47.2 million)
2. Tremfya
Movement: No change
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $44.1 million (up from $41.7 million in December)
Number of spots: Four (three psoriasis, one ulcerative colitis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Break Away” (est. $31.6 million)
3. Rinvoq
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s JAKi immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $42.5 million (up from $37.2 million in December)
Number of spots: Four (one arthritis, two UC/Crohn’s, one eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Don't Have To Settle” (est. $16.7 million)
4. Skyrizi
Movement: Down three spots
What is it? AbbVie’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $34 million (down from $48.2 million in December)
Number of spots: Three (two psoriasis, one UC/Crohn’s)
Biggest-ticket ad: “In the Picture” (est. $17.3 million)
5. Dupixent
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $32 million (up from $20.5 million in December)
Number of spots: Eight (two asthma, six eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “This Is Better: Roller Disco” (est. $11.4 million)
6. Wegovy
Movement: Down three spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for obesity
Est. national TV ad spend: $31 million (down from $40.3 million in December)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Power: $0” (est. $31 million)
7. Rexulti
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Lundbeck and Otsuka’s neurology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $21.8 million (up from $6.9 million in December)
Number of spots: Two (one depression, one Alzheimer’s)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Still Masking: Garage and Office” (est. $14.4 million)
8. Jardiance
Movement: Up two spots
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes and kidney disease drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $20.8 million (up from $9.5 million in December)
Number of spots: Two (one chronic kidney disease, one diabetes)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Store” (est. $15.4 million)
9. Caplyta
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Intra-Cellular’s schizophrenia and bipolar depression drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $14.9 million (up from $5.7 million in December)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Darkness of Bipolar Depression: Let in The Lyte” (est. $14.9 million)
10. Ozempic
Movement: Down three spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for diabetes
Est. national TV ad spend: $14.2 million (down from $18.4 million in December)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Ozempic Tri-Zone: Boxing” (est. $14.2 million)