Leo Pharma has decided to launch the JAK inhibitor cream Anzupgo. The Danish pharmaceutical company, whose growth plans are based on recently approved medicines, is running a direct-to-consumer (DTC) campaign that includes advertising on streaming services.
The FDA approved Anzupgo for moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema (CHE) in July, making the drug the first product approved for a skin condition in adults in the United States.
After winning approval, Leo increased its U.S. sales force by more than 50% and is on track to support a September launch. The company has identified Anzupgo as a driver for its targeted 8% to 11% revenue growth this year.
Leo’s marketing team is rolling out a multi-channel “It’s GO time” DTC campaign to support the launch. The campaign began Thursday and is scheduled to continue throughout the year, and includes one-minute ads that Leo will run on streaming services such as Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. Leo is also targeting patients online and in dermatologist waiting rooms across the country.
The ad begins with a close-up shot of people scratching and rubbing their hands, followed by a voiceover that says, “Itchy? It’s uncomfortable. Painful? It’s uncomfortable.” The screen rotates to show people performing tasks that use their hands, and then a voiceover says, “It’s time to go with Anzupgo.” The next scene shows people applying Anzupgo cream to their skin, briefly working with their hands.
As chefs, pianists, artists, and fishermen in advertising, we rely on our hands for almost everything, both professionally and personally. But Leo says CHE is often overlooked or misunderstood. The ad aims to raise awareness that dry, itchy and painful hands can be symptoms of CHE, and to encourage people to talk to their doctor about their condition and Anzupgo.
Other CHE treatment approaches include topical steroids and atopic dermatitis drugs used off-label. Robert Spahr, Leo’s executive vice president for North America, said in a statement that many patients “suffer from repeated use of ineffective topical steroids.”
