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Tuesday
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16 November, 2021 |
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This week’s Endpoints MarketingRx includes scientists in the marketing spotlight and new audio trends. Plus, some late-breaking news from Cannes Lions Health confirming that the June show will go back to in-person should put a smile on many industry faces today. |
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Beth Snyder Bulik |
Senior Editor, Endpoints News
@BethSBulik
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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In the early days of the pandemic, there was a mad scramble for information. What was a coronavirus, how likely was a vaccine and how soon could it be developed? At Johnson & Johnson, where Janssen scientists were already at work on vaccine candidates even before Covid-19 was officially a pandemic, Seema Kumar, along with her global health communications team, noticed that information void and jumped in with an idea. The global head of J&J’s office of innovation, global health and scientific engagement quickly helped launch a weekly social media show called “Road to a Vaccine.” J&J scientists including chief scientific officer Paul Stoffels, public health officials and other medical experts discussed Covid vaccines news and developments. Hosted by well-known journalist Lisa Ling, the vaccine show ended up not only tracking J&J’s Janssen path to its adenovector vaccine, but also cultural moments, healthcare system inequities and mental health concerns. Now inspired by the success of “Road to a Vaccine” — more than 1 million views on LinkedIn alone — J&J has created “Eureka Moments,” a new weekly social media show to shine a light on scientific discovery and specifically on the people making them. Hosted by Kumar, the show aims to be a kind of “People magazine of science,” focused on the scientists and researchers and the eureka moments behind their discoveries. |
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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Today’s audio channels are not your grandma’s radio. From digital streaming audio to original podcasts, more ears than ever are tuned into a growing wave of audio content. Pharma marketers are taking another look at advertising options on audio — which is now booming, thanks in part to the pandemic and more people staying at home. More than 220 million people in the US stream music every month, while 116 million listened to at least one podcast in the last month, according to stats compiled by SXM Media and Pandora. And it’s growing. Digital audio streaming increased 16.4% in the first six months this year when compared to the same time period in 2020. That goes for advertising too. Pharma marketers are jumping in across a wide range of audio advertising options. The industry, for instance, doubled its ad share spending on podcasts in 2020 over the previous year, said Mark Pappas, senior VP, Innovation at CMI Media Group. “There are now so many touchpoints to reach patients, and HCPs, wherever they are throughout the day. They’re listening on their phone, in their car, at their computer and connected to smart speakers at home,” he said. “The audience is there and unlike banner buys or social media where the competition is insane, this is an area that’s really wide open — at least for now.” One of the reasons pharma companies are attracted to podcasts is that they’re effective. Pharma and healthcare podcasts topped all industries with a 137% lift or action taken after listening to an ad, according to Podsites Benchmark Report last year. |
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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Millions of people stuck at home during the pandemic took on do-it-yourself home projects. Now Merck wants them to turn the tables on themselves and get back to self-care. The “Do it For Yourself” campaign encourages people to pay attention to potential lung cancer symptoms such as prolonged unexplained cough or continuous shortness of breath. While health checks dropped precipitously during the pandemic, cancer screenings were especially hard hit. Screenings for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, decreased by 50% in 2020, said Kristen Drake, Merck executive director, global communications. “The pandemic has had a profound and far-reaching impact on routine well visits and preventative care,” she said, adding “if you find lung cancer early, the 5-year survival rate can be 60%, but when found late, it drops all the way to 6%.” Merck’s lung cancer effort is the latest in a string of efforts across the industry from pharma companies, advocacy groups and public health officials to rev up screenings and preventative healthcare after missed appointments during the pandemic. Another recent lung cancer screening effort from Stand Up To Cancer, backed by Bristol Myers Squibb, features rap artist and actor Common as spokesman and began last week in conjunction with the start of Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November. Although both efforts are unbranded, Merck’s Keytruda and BMS’ Opdivo are both blockbuster immuno-oncology drugs to treat lung cancer. |
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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For as long as there have been HIV medicines, the only options for patients have been daily pills — until this year that is. GlaxoSmithKline’s ViiV Healthcare approval for long-acting injectable Cabenuva in January marked a sudden change. Instead of people with HIV taking daily pills — a habit even reinforced in pop culture in film and other fictional depictions — there’s now a once-a-month injection option. So now ViiV is putting marketing to work as it looks to change those long-established habits. In its first direct to consumer campaign for Cabenuva, the opening line of the currently running national TV ad announces, “There’s a different way to treat HIV.” Three real people living with HIV are shown traveling and living active lives with family and friends, while talking about their reasons for taking Cabenuva. One man named Orlando notes, “HIV pills aren’t on my mind,” while Steve is shown driving a convertible speaking in voiceover, “I love being able to pick up and go.” The campaign ViiV calls “Once a Month and You’re Good to Go” keys in on the insight that while people living with HIV are generally satisfied with daily pills, some struggle with self-stigma, fear that their HIV status will be disclosed or the constant reminder of their diagnosis, said Robin Gaitens, ViiV Healthcare product and community communications director. Meanwhile, the overall launch of Cabenuva “is going well and as expected,” she said. |
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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When Bob K. was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, he wasn’t even sure how to spell the name of the rare blood cancer. Now, as spokesperson for Epizyme’s “In My Blood” digital campaign, he and other follicular lymphoma (FL) patients are talking about their experiences with the type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, alongside a new kind of digital coach. “My Follicular Lymphoma Coach” is actually real-life hematology and oncology nurse practitioner Sandra Kurtin, who introduces herself in a video on the website. She asks the person watching to be prepared to answer some simple questions about their diagnoses, adding that her goal is to “take some of the uncertainty out of living with follicular lymphoma and prepare you to engage in a proactive partnership with your healthcare providers.” People watching can then choose from options on a menu listed beside the video. Depending on the selection, Kurtin returns to explain terms or offer resources on topics such as living with follicular lymphoma, treatment options and how to communicate better with a doctor. As the question and answering continues, again depending on the user’s choices, Kurtin’s videos explain things like the different stages of the disease or specific treatment issues like cost, efficacy, safety and quality of life. Epizyme’s use of Kurtin, who practices at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, is a different take on pharma coaching apps which sometimes include personalized chatbots like Novo Nordisk’s Sophia on its Cornerstones4Care Type 2 diabetes-focused website or Sanofi France’s Nina to help people with mild sleep disorders. Kurtin said in an email that she was approached by Epizyme's advocacy staff to do the videos, and that there are no plans for follow ups at this time. |
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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What’s the best way to talk to young people about Covid-19 vaccines? Try YouTube. That’s what Klick Health did, partnering with Google’s video platform and the Vaccine Confidence Project on a vaccine facts campaign aimed at 18 to 30 year olds. The “Community Unity” public service announcements take the most Googled questions about the Covid-19 vaccines and turn them into a hip and educational 12-video series. The first three videos debuted Wednesday addressing often-asked questions around the potential of infertility, miscarriages and yes, even alien babies, which was an actual concern that surfaced in search. An introductory video explains the series goal to “come together, learn together and stay protected together.” The Klick Health team began with the Vaccine Confidence Project’s research and then added in Google and YouTube extensive data and analytics to dig up the most searched Covid-19 questions and topics on Google around the world across 12 different languages. The global public service announcements use animations, pop-culture references and relatable characters to try to dispel vaccine misinformation that younger heavy social media users are more exposed to. The age group is also more likely than older age groups to take a wait-and-see approach to vaccines. Almost one-third (30%) of 18-29-year-olds in the US are unvaccinated compared to just 14% of people 65 and older, according to the most recent Kaiser Family Foundation’s Covid-19 monthly monitor. While 13% of the younger group say they won’t get vaccinated no matter what, 9% are still waiting. (The other 8% said they will get vaccinated if required.) |
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by Nicole DeFeudis
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A few months after Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim broke into the chronic heart failure space with their SGLT2 inhibitor Jardiance, the partners are already plotting an expansion into acute heart failure — and on Sunday, they read out some pivotal results to back their bid. Acute heart failure patients were 36% more likely to benefit from Jardiance than placebo after 90 days (p=0.0054), meeting the primary endpoint in the Phase III EMPULSE trial, Lilly and BI announced at this year’s American Heart Association conference. Benefit was measured by several components, including mortality (4.2% in the Jardiance group compared to 8.3% in the placebo group), heart failure events (10.6% for Jardiance versus 14.7% for placebo), and improvement from baseline on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (+36.9 points for Jardiance versus +31.6 for placebo). Lilly and BI acknowledged that the study could be limited by a relatively small sample size (530 hospitalized adults). But the partners say they’re confident the drug could make a difference in patients’ lives. “This is the first time we have really seen this type of medication work so effectively and safely in patients who were hospitalized for acute heart failure, regardless of heart failure history or diabetes status,” the study’s lead author Adriaan Voors said in a statement. Heart failure is classified as acute when patients experience fluid build-up in the lungs, requiring hospitalization. But even once these patients are released from the hospital, they are at a higher risk of death. |
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by Beth Snyder Bulik
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Bristol Myers Squibb is looking to shine a light on the rarely diagnosed heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) as it awaits an FDA decision on a proposed drug to treat it. The unbranded “Could It Be HCM?” campaign that launched Monday doesn’t mention mavacamten, which has an FDA decision deadline in January, but instead focuses on awareness of the condition with Utah Jazz National Basketball Association player Jared Butler who has HCM. Butler found out he had the heart condition while at Baylor University, where he helped lead the team to an NCAA national championship last season, and is now under a doctor’s care. While he points out that his HCM may be different than others — along with increased risk of stroke or heart failure, patients often have shortness of breath or fatigue that interferes with daily activity — Butler said he hopes speaking out will encourage others to check their own symptoms with a doctor. The digital campaign includes a custom website with information and resources about HCM including symptom and discussion guides. Mavacamten is the myosin inhibitor BMS nabbed in its $13 billion MyoKardia buyout. The pharma recently reported trial data it says indicate a “sustained reduction” in NT-proBNP hormone levels which at high levels are indicative of heart failure. | Cannes Lions Health pharma and healthcare marketing show set for in-person return in 2022 | Cannes Lions Health conference and awards will be in-person again for the first time since 2019, the organization announced Tuesday. The seminal advertising and marketing event and creative awards ceremony for pharma and healthcare marketers will return during the weeklong June 20-24 show in Cannes, France. |
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John Carroll
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Editor & Founder
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Arsalan Arif
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Publisher & Founder
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Shehla Shakoor
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Managing Director
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Igor Yavych
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Chief Technical Officer
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Mike Peck
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Chief Revenue Officer
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Valentin Manov
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Creative Director
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Kyle Blankenship
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Managing Editor
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Beth Snyder Bulik
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Senior Editor
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Zachary Brennan
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Senior Editor
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Josh Sullivan
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Associate Editor
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Kathy Wong
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Assistant Editor
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Melissa Nazzaro
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Sales Director
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Cassidy Murphy
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Sales Associate
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Jaime Bruder
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Sr. Operations Manager
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Kara Thibault
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Operations Manager
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Jordan Collins
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Operations
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Lirra Selibio
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Subscriptions
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Dawn Cleveland
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Controller
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Amanda Florez
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Executive Assistant
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Alex Lefterov |
Graphic Designer |
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DeAna Catoni
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Operations Coordinator
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Kari Abitbol
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Director, Studio
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Julie Notario
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Sales Director
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Rachel Wilson
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Operations Coordinator
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Derek Graf
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Copy/Visuals Editor
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Paul Schloesser
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Editorial Intern
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Andriy Tomchyshyn
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Lead Developer
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Worldwide made. Thanks for reading.
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