In its new “Playing with the Heart” project, Merck is touting how high levels of so-called “bad cholesterol” can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
The campaign aims to educate people about low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which can be measured through regular blood tests, and how to manage high levels.
During the 2026 baseball season, the campaign will feature baseball legends, teams, and ambassadors sharing their experiences with high LDL cholesterol.
Merck, along with Women’s Heart, a nonprofit organization that supports women with or at risk for heart disease, and nine professional baseball teams, will also host an in-stadium event to provide education about bad cholesterol and encourage adults to learn about their increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Teams include the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Braves, Astros, Cardinals, Giants, Padres, and Angels.
In recent years, many pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, Biogen, AbbVie, Pfizer, and Sanofi, have used sports in their campaigns, using everything from the Olympics and FIFA World Cup to basketball, baseball, and soccer.
So, why does Merck & Co. play baseball?
“Baseball is America’s pastime. You grow up with these players, you watch them on TV, you have the relationships you build with them,” Chris Regent, Merck’s vice president of U.S. pharmaceuticals, cardiovascular and metabolic medicine, said in an interview with Fierce Pharma Marketing.
“When you hear these players speak, you stop and listen. What’s really special about what we’re doing here is that we’re reaching people through players that they respect and want to hear.”
Regent said the effort is also a “broad and consistent campaign” across nine teams and across the United States.
This also works on a local level, as baseball legends help spread the message to their communities.
“These people remember them,” Regent said, calling the campaign “something different” than other drug companies’ efforts.
Merck launched the campaign last fall, initially partnering with Women’s Heart and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Regent said the company learned from its work with the Cardinals that this community-based approach resonates.
Personal stories are also integral to the project. This approach has become more common in pharmaceutical marketing in recent years, making campaigns more relatable and impactful.
Heart disease and high cholesterol can be troublesome for marketers. Conditions such as COPD and cancer often have persistent and worsening symptoms that prompt medical attention, but high LDL-C is “silent” and silently causes damage and blockage until a major cardiovascular event occurs.
“We remain silent until something bad happens,” the regent said. “From a marketing perspective, the most important thing is educating people to get their LDL-C levels tested. Your LDL-C levels are inside you, so you should pay attention to your numbers.”
The campaign also includes a social media component, with certain teams and players using their channels to promote the campaign, as well as a new website aimed at educating and encouraging people to get their cholesterol levels checked.
High LDL-C is a major cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) because it contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries.
There is currently no treatment to reverse atherosclerosis, but cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins can help.
Just last month, Merck highlighted the success of its third Phase 3 trial of its PCSK9 inhibitor ensitide.
Researchers randomly assigned 301 statin-treated adults with ASCVD to receive ensitide or one of three control regimens. Patients in the control group received bempedoic acid, ezetimibe, or a combination of both drugs.
At day 56, the Ensisid cohort had an average reduction in LDL-C of 64.6%. Patients treated with bempedoic acid and ezetimibe had the next largest reduction, but the reduction was much less than the 36.5% for the study drug.
After reviewing last year’s top-line results, Guggenheim Securities analysts said in a note to investors that sales are expected to exceed the consensus estimate of $2.8 billion in 2033.
Merck has long sold drugs to treat high cholesterol and heart disease, backed by a decades-long portfolio of statins and recent approvals for Verkuvo for chronic heart failure and Winreair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
