Madrigal Pharmaceuticals has installed a 6-foot-tall, 41-foot-wide inflatable liver in a Philadelphia park to commemorate World Fatty Liver Awareness Day.
Pennsylvania-based Madrigal, which markets the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) treatment Rezdifla, created the exhibit to raise awareness of liver health. Visitors walk through the organ and learn about the different stages of liver disease.
“By putting a giant, inflated liver in front of people, this campaign creates an attention-grabbing and memorable way to spark curiosity, deepen understanding of liver health, and educate people about the risks of fatty liver disease and MASH,” Kathryn Robison, Madrigal’s executive director of corporate communications, told Fierce Pharma Marketing in an email.
A Madrigal-commissioned study of 2,095 U.S. adults revealed the need for liver health education. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, found that 35% of respondents believed they could live without a liver.
In an effort to improve knowledge about liver health, Madrigal asked hepatologist Rebecca Roe, M.D., to share her medical expertise at Thursday’s exhibition, and former Major League Soccer player Jamie Watson to moderate the exhibition. Watson’s mother is on the waiting list for a liver transplant and is helping to raise awareness.
Philadelphia is the first stop on a national tour for the exhibition. Madrigal plans to bring his giant inflatable liver to Orlando, Fla., in July. The MASH Across America tour will also include stops in Washington, San Diego and Pittsburgh, but Madrigal has not yet announced dates for those three cities.
Robison said Madrigal will evaluate the tour’s success both quantitatively and qualitatively. The biotech company plans to examine its tour website, which includes a page asking visitors to take the “Liver Health Pledge,” as well as the level of community engagement on its TikTok and Facebook channels. Conversations with participants and direct feedback from participants will also be part of Madrigal’s evaluation of campaign effectiveness.
Les DiFla’s sales increased more than 100% in the first quarter to $311 million, beating analyst expectations. More than 42,000 patients had taken the drug by the end of March, an increase of 6,000 since the end of last year. “We remain very bullish on fundamental demand growth,” TD Cowen analysts said in a note to investors last month. Analysts expect Lesdifra’s full-year sales to be $1.5 billion.
