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AbbVie’s Skyrizi tops the charts for February’s leading TV drug ad spenders, as Pfizer’s Paxlovid makes its entrance

AbbVie’s Skyrizi and Rinvoq took the top two spots on February’s TV drug ad spending list, but some new, big names made their way into the top 10. 

AbbVie’s immunology drug Skyrizi took the number one spot in February, according to data from real-time ad trackers at iSpot.TV, with the pharma shelling out $25.6 million on all TV drug ads for Skyrizi last month. That is down by nearly $12 million from January and foreshadows a drop in spending across the board.

In at second is Rinvoq, with AbbVie spending $24.8 million across all of its TV commercials last month. Rinvoq topped the list in January when AbbVie spent $41.8 million on TV ads for the drug.  

In third place, just as it was in January, is Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology blockbuster Dupixent, keen rival to Rinvoq and Skyrizi, which saw $21.5 million in spend, though again a big drop on last month’s total, which hit $34.5 million.

The fourth place spot was taken by a brand new ad campaign from Bristol Myers Squibb for its recently approved plaque psoriasis med Sotyktu. The company spent $16.5 million on that ad, “Found it,” which launched for the Grammy Awards.

In at fifth place is another new entrant in the form of Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid, coming off the back of its first branded ad campaign and the need for the Big Pharma to shore up dwindling sales of the pandemic therapy. Pfizer spent $16.3 million on TV ads for that drug last month, up significantly from the $500,000 it spent in January.

In sixth position we see the increasingly common appearance of ViiV Healthcare’s HIV treatment Dovato and comes amid a trend in ads for these types of treatments from the HIV specialist in the top 10 list.

Novartis’ breast cancer therapy Kisqali took the seventh spot, with a spend of $9.8 million. In January, Kisqali took the tenth position with Novartis spending $18.5 million on TV ads for the drug. 

Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes therapy Jardiance took eighth place, but it fell four spots from its January position.

In at ninth is Intra-Cellular’s antipsychotic Caplyta, which is an irregular top 10 lister, as we round out the top 10 with its rival drug Rexulti, from Lundbeck and Ostuka, which has become a more common entrant into these top 10 listings.

Total spend for February was $151.6 million, a figure that is massively down from $207.4 million in January.

February spending can of course be a little out of whack as it only had 28 days so we will wait to see what numbers March brings before making out any trends, but there are some major drops in spend across the board that cannot all be explained by the quirk of a shorter month.

Check out the top 10 as compiled by iSpot.TV below.

1. Skyrizi
Movement:
 Up 1 spot
What is it? AbbVie’s IL-23 immunology drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $25.6 million (down from $37.7 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Five (one Crohn’s disease, three psoriasis, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Roller Coaster” (est. $12.8 million)

2. Rinvoq
Movement:
 Down 1 spot
What is it? AbbVie’s JAK inhibitor immunology drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $24.8 million (down from $41.3 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Five (three eczema, one arthritis, one UC)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Standup to Your Symptoms” (est. $8.8 million)

3. Dupixent
Movement: 
No change
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s dual inhibitor of IL-4 and IL-13 immunology drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $21.4 million (down from $34.5 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Seven (four eczema, three asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Firefighter and Surfer” (est. $7.8 million)

4. Sotyktu 
Movement:
 Not listed last month
What is it? Bristol Myers Squibb’s plaque psoriasis drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.5 million (up from $0 in Jan.)
Number of spots: One 
Biggest-ticket ad: “She Found It” (est. $16.5 million)

5. Paxlovid 
Movement: 
Not listed last month
What is it? Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $16.3 million (up from $573,000 in Jan.)
Number of spots: One 
Biggest-ticket ad: “If It’s Covid, Paxlovid” (est. $16.3 million)

6. Dovato
Movement: 
No change
What is it? ViiV Healthcare’s HIV drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $10 million (down from $14.2 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Detect This” (est. $6.1 million)

7. Kisqali
Movement:
 Up three spots
What is it? Novartis’ breast cancer drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.8 million (down from $18.5 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Long Live” (est. $9.8 million)

8. Jardiance
Movement: 
Down four spots
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes drug. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $9.3 million (down from $19.9 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “On It” (est. $9.3 million)

9. Caplyta
Movement: 
Not listed last month
What is it? Intra-Cellular’s schizophrenia and bipolar depression treatment. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $9 million (up from $6.5 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Dawn” (est. $9 million)

10. Rexulti
Movement: 
Down three spots
What is it? Otsuka and Lundbeck’s antipsychotic treatment. 
Est. national TV ad spend: $8.9 million (down from $12.5 million in Jan.)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Build on Your Progress” (est. $5.9 million)