AbbVie is once again the top spender on pharma TV ads, narrowly beating April's winner, Rexulti.
That’s according to the latest data from real-time TV ad trackers at iSpot.TV, who crunched May’s numbers and found AbbVie’s blockbuster IL-23 immunology drug Skyrizi saw the highest level of spend when it came to TV drug commercials, having handed over $31.2 million for the month.
This saw the drug regain its accustomed top spot in these monthly lists after being knocked off its perch in April by Lundbeck and Otsuka’s atypical antipsychotic Rexulti, a first for the therapy.
Rexulti, however, still secured second place in May and was only $1.4 million behind the top spot. The pair spent $29.8 million last month, slightly down from the $30.2 million in April.
In third was Sanofi and Regeneron’s megablockbuster immunology med Dupixent, up one place month over month, with spending also up by a healthy $5.1 million.
AbbVie’s second major immunology med Rinvoq saw spending up by $1.7 million in May but still dropped one place on its April ranking to fourth.
And we see AbbVie again in fifth place with its bipolar and major depressive disorder therapy Vraylar, up three spots on April’s list with spending jumping from $11.5 million to $14.8 million in May.
Bristol Myers Squibb’s dermatology drug Sotyktu moved up one spot to sixth, while Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Jardiance is in the seventh position, just as it was in April.
Novo Nordisk's injectable GLP-1 diabetes drug Ozempic, which wasn't listed last month due to the company partly restricting some marketing for its diabetes franchise amid supply constraints over the past year, is now in eighth place. The company spent $12.2 million on TV ads for Ozempic in May.
Intra-Cellular Therapies' bipolar and schizophrenia medication, Caplyta, makes a surprising appearance in ninth place. Meanwhile, Bristol Myers Squibb secures its second entry with the cancer drug Opdivo, rounding off the top 10.
Total spending for May hit $191.9 million, mostly flat compared to the $191.4 million spent in April. Both figures are up from $188 million in March and much higher than the $168.4 million registered in February.
Check out the top 10 TV drug ad spenders in May, compiled by iSpot.TV, below.
1. Skyrizi
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s IL-23 immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $31.2 million (up from $30 million in April)
Number of spots: Seven (four psoriasis, two Crohn’s disease, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Sailing” (est. $14.6 million)
2. Rexulti
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Otsuka and Lundbeck’s atypical antipsychotic
Est. national TV ad spend: $29.8 million (down from $30.2 million in April)
Number of spots: Three (one Alzheimer’s disease, two depression)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Journey” (est. $12 million)
3. Dupixent
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s megablockbuster immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $28.1 million (up from $23 million in April)
Number of spots: Seven (three eczema, four asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “This Is Better” (est. $14.5 million)
4. Rinvoq
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s JAK inhibitor immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $25.9 million (up from $24.2 million in April)
Number of spots: Four (one ulcerative colitis, two arthritis, one eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Volleyball and Skiing” (est. $10.7 million)
5. Vraylar
Movement: Up three spots
What is it? AbbVie’s bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $14.8 million (up from $11.5 million in April)
Number of spots: Five
Biggest-ticket ad: “A Lift: Home” (est. $5.8million)
6. Sotyktu
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb’s dermatology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.7 million (down from $21.3 million in April)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Live Unfiltered” (est. $13.7 million)
7. Jardiance
Movement: No change
What is it? Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.3 million (up from $12.8 million in April)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Office” (est. $11.9 million)
8. Ozempic
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s injectable GLP-1 diabetes drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.2 million (up from $10.6 million in April)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Ozempic Tri-Zone: Rock Climbing” (est. $7.7 million)
9. Caplyta
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Intra-Cellular’s schizophrenia and bipolar therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $11.6 million (up from $7.7 million in April)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “The Darkness of Bipolar Depression: Let in The Lyte” (est. $9.3 million)
10. Opdivo
Movement: No change
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb’s cancer therapy
Est. national TV ad spend: $11.3 million (up from $11.2 million in April)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Advanced Lung Cancer” (est. $11.3 million)