AbbVie’s Humira dropped out of the top spot on the pharma TV ad spenders list in March for the first time in years. Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent took over the No. 1 position, followed by Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus, leaving Humira in third place, according to data from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv.
Humira’s downward move has been in the works; spending has been declining over the past few months as AbbVie re-directed some of Humira’s advertising budget from the longtime blockbuster to its new generation of immunology products in rheumatoid arthritis Rinvoq and psoriasis med Skyrizi.
Other brands back on the list for March were Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Type 2 diabetes drug Jardiance, and Johnson & Johnson’s psoriatic disease med Tremfya. While Jardiance continues its “on it” theme for patients around reducing heart attack and stroke risk, J&J debuted a new set of ads for its psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis treatment.
Overall spending may be normalizing after a spendy six months. Total spending for the top 10 pharma TV advertisers in March was $148 million, down from the February total of $165 million, but similar to last March’s $156 million and February’s $149 million, according to the iSpot.tv data.
However, with the advertising market in general still in flux thanks to the pandemic, it’s likely to take months or even longer to settle into any kind of new normal media buying—stay tuned.
1. Dupixent
Movement: Up from No. 2
What is it? Regeneron and Sanofi's IL-4 and IL-13-blocking anti-inflammatory
Total estimated spending: $24 million (up from $20.2 million in February)
Number of spots: Six (Three for atopic dermatitis, three for asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Roll Up Your Sleeves: Shawn, Ore and Jennifer” (est. $10.2 million)
2. Rybelsus
Movement: Up from No. 3
What is it? Novo Nordisk oral GLP-1 diabetes med
Total estimated spending: $19.9 million (up from $18.7 million in February)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Wake Up to Possibilities” (est. $10.9 million)
3. Humira
Movement: Down from No. 1
What is it? AbbVie anti-inflammatory drug
Total estimated spending: $19.6 million (down from $22.6 million in February)
Number of spots: Three (One for arthritis/psoriasis, two for ulcerative colitis/Crohn's)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Body of Proof: Drums” with COVID help message (est. $7.6 million)
4. Trulicity
Movement: Up from No. 5 last month
What is it? Eli Lilly GLP-1 diabetes drug
Total estimated spending: $17.1 million (up slightly from $17 million in February)
Number of spots: Four
Biggest-ticket ad: “Truly Powerful: Hotel Manager” (est. $12 million)
5. Xeljanz
Movement: Up from No. 6 last month
What is it? Pfizer oral rheumatoid arthritis therapy
Total estimated spending: $13.6 million (down from $16.4 million in February)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Pine Needles” (est. $7.7 million)
6. Rinvoq
Movement: Up from No. 9
What is it? AbbVie JAK inhibitor to treat RA
Total estimated spending: $12.2 million (up slightly from $12 million in February)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Your Mission: Zipline” (est. $10.6 million)
7. Ozempic
Movement: Up from No. 10
What is it? Novo Nordisk GLP-1 diabetes med
Total estimated spending: $10.8 million (down from $11.7 million in February)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “My Zone (featuring Billy Gardell)”
8. Jardiance
Movement: Not on the list last month
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim SGLT2 diabetes treatment
Total estimated spending: $10.5 million
Number of spots: Five
Biggest-ticket ad: “Community Garden” (est. $4.9 million)
9. Enbrel
Movement: Down from No. 8
What is it? Amgen’s TNF inhibitor to treat autoimmune diseases
Total estimated spending: $9.98 million (down from $12.2 million in February)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Erin & Margo”
10. Tremfya
Movement: Not on the list last month
What is it? Johnson & Johnson IL-23 inhibitor psoriatic disease treatment
Total estimated spending: $9.97 million
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Emerge: $5 per dose” (est. $8 million)