Endo Pharmaceuticals is expanding its awareness campaign for Peyronie’s disease after seeing an increase in Xiaflex sales volume that it attributed to DTC efforts.
The new national TV ad for Peyronie's, a condition in which scar tissue causes an abnormal or painful curvature of the penis, joins one already in rotation since the beginning of the year. Both ads began in local test markets last year but expanded after Endo reported volume-driven sales bumps of its treatment Xiaflex.
The latest Peyronie ads sticks to awareness and does not mention the brand. However, both TV ads end by encouraging men to talk to a urologist and to learn more about the condition at the website learnaboutpd.com, which redirects to a Xiaflex-branded website for Peyronie’s disease.
The TV spot campaign targets men aged 45 and older, Justin Mattice, Endo executive director of men’s health marketing, said in an email interview, although he also acknowledged the importance of their partners in helping to “encourage their significant others to take action and seek medical attention.”
The ad begins with a worried-looking man and a voiceover explaining the problem: “If you’re curved below the belt, you may not know what caused it, and you may not know what to do. A significant curve may be a medical condition called Peyronie’s disease.”
Women also appear midway through the ad as several couples talk, laugh and hug affectionately as the voiceover continues to explain that thousands of men may have the condition.
Endo said up to 13% of men in the U.S. may have Peyronie’s disease, based on 2011 research of 11,000 men diagnosed, seeking diagnosis or with related symptoms. Still, Mattice said, many men don’t get diagnosed because they’re too embarrassed to seek help.
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“It may not be easy speaking about Peyronie’s disease, and this TV ad lets men know they are not alone and encourages them to speak up about their condition to a urologist,” he said. “In addition, men with Peyronie’s disease are often misdiagnosed, so by discussing the signs and symptoms, the campaign helps men understand the condition and encourages them to take a more active role in with their health.”
Endo’s 2017 annual report news release noted that Xiaflex’ growth was “primarily attributable to volume growth that was driven, in part, by a full year of direct-to-consumer initiatives intended to increase patient awareness of Xiaflex as a possible treatment option for Dupuytren's Contracture and Peyronie's Disease.”
Endo ran two disease awareness effort for Dupuytren's contracture last year. The first was an unbranded TV campaign, while the second was a public relations push with pro golfer and Dupuytren sufferer Tim Herron. Xiaflex works in both cases as an injectable that can break down collagen in afflicted tendons or scar tissue.