Eli Lilly has expanded its “Get Better” campaign, rolling out ads focused on its work to address inequities in access to dermatology diagnosis and treatment.
Lilly kicked off the campaign early this year with a TV spot that showed factors such as income that can stop patients from getting better. The drugmaker followed up with emotive ads that looked at life with Alzheimer’s disease and the shame some people feel about their body weight. The Alzheimer’s and body weight ads covered key therapeutic areas for Lilly without pushing its products.
The new ads apply the blueprint to skin disorders. Lilly has expanded the campaign to show another aspect of its commitment to health equity, specifically its work to raise awareness of the disparities experienced by people of color with skin conditions, such as eczema.
In one ad, which is running on Facebook and Instagram, Lilly says “our clinical trial imagery highlighting diverse skin tones will be shared with doctors so more patients can receive proper care.” Another ad on the same social media platform says “an eczema diagnosis should not depend on skin color.”
The campaign’s focus reflects the knowledge that dermatological diseases present differently depending on the skin tone and evidence that some healthcare professionals have a limited grasp of the differences. One study found almost half of dermatologists felt their training was inadequate to diagnose skin disease in people of color. Lilly wants to help educate HCPs—and wants the wider world to know it is involved.
In March, Lilly published data on 50 people with atopic dermatitis and darker skin tones who received its IL-13 drug lebrikizumab. The study showed the effect of lebrikizumab was similar in people with darker skin tones and the wider phase 3 population. Lilly refiled for FDA approval of lebrikizumab earlier this year. The agency rejected the initial application after finding fault with a third-party manufacturer.