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MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Monday, June 22, 2026

Inside the billion-dollar peptides gold rush. As black-market drugs go mainstream and legalization is within reach, entrepreneurs, investors and healthcare players are racing to cash in. (Bloomberg)


Data from the West Health-Gallup Affordability Index shows only about half of U.S. adults could afford healthcare and had access to quality care in the past year. Conducted from October-December 2025, the data shows affordability concerns as midterm elections approach. (STAT News) 


Johnson & Jo...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

The Periodic Fable takes home Cannes Lions 2026 Health and Wellness Grand Prix 

The Periodic Fable campaign from The Ordinary won the Health and Wellness Grand Prix at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.


The Deciem campaign focuses on exposing misleading beauty marketing by repurposing the periodic table with 49 “elements” representing common skincare buzzwords — such as poreless, medical grade, fat freezing, eternal youth, flawless and age-defying — that lack scientific backing. 


Health and Wellness Lions jury chair Kainaz Karmakar, CCO Ogilvy...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Tuesday, June 23, 2026

How health affordability is shaping the midterms. Majorities of Americans say they’re more likely to vote for candidates in November who support ideas to lower their health costs. (Axios)


Meet the public health team watching the World Cup. As millions gather for the FIFA World Cup, a scrappy public health operation led by a team at Georgetown is tracking disease threats using surveys, wastewater and online chatter to spot outbreaks early. (NPR)


Pharma spending has been on the rise in the p...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Wednesday, June 24, 2026

The Justice Department charged a Texas doctor with an $89 million healthcare fraud scheme as part of a national crackdown of healthcare fraud. Jason Finkelstein, 53, is accused of billing insurers for medically unnecessary cardiovascular screening tests for college student-athletes and deeming the results normal without reviewing them. (ABC News)


By the end of June, the Supreme Court is expected to deliver an opinion in Trump v. Barbara, the case challenging Trump’s executive order to end bir...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Thursday, June 25, 2026

The Food and Drug Administration’s industry-friendly about-face. Global leadership in the sector is at stake with China’s rapid ascendance in drug development — and biotech investors and executives had warned that the agency was undermining innovation, not supporting it. (Axios) 


White House policy aide Heidi Overton is among the final candidates the Trump administration is considering to lead the FDA. No final decision has been made, and it’s unclear whether Overton has the support of Health...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Skyrizi tops pharma TV ad rankings for third month, Claritin repeats YouTube crown

AbbVie’s Skyrizi remained in the top spot for pharma TV advertising in May, according to iSpot.tv’s monthly pharma ad rankings released Wednesday afternoon.


Last month, the plaque psoriasis treatment brand recorded an impressions share of voice (SOV) of 4.43%. Skyrizi also generated 2.7 billion impressions with an estimated $38.9 million TV ad spend, which was down by $7.9 million from April. 


Skyrizi was followed by Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya and AbbVie’s Rinvoq, which dropped from the s...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Cancer Support Community plasters 867-5309 across a Times Square billboard

Perhaps the most famous phone number in music history is becoming even more inescapable. 


The phone number popularized in Tommy Tutone’s 1981 hit “Jenny/867-5309” is having a resurgence as a new cancer support hotline created by the Cancer Support Community (CSC), 2026 MM+M Agency 100 Honoree Klick Health and with support of Omnicom strategic communications firm MMC.


The effort was unveiled in mid-March but took on an elevated profile at an in-person activation on Wednesday.


CSC took ov...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

FDA sends Untitled Letter to Lundbeck over Vyepti efficacy claims on webpages

Key takeaways

The FDA’s most recent Untitled Letter was sent to Lundbeck Seattle Biopharmaceuticals over claims about its intravenous migraine drug Vyepti.
The OPDP took issue with the drugmaker’s claim that Vyepti could lead to “100% migraine freedom” among other efficacy claims.
The FDA requested the company take immediate action to address the violations and respond to the letter within 15 working days.




The FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion sent...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Friday, July 10, 2026

The top contenders to lead the Food and Drug Administration have been sent to the White House for a final review and decision. The finalists include Heidi Overton, a White House adviser; Jeffrey Vacirca, an oncologist and health system executive; and Stephen Ferrara, a health affairs official at the Defense Department. (STAT News)


AstraZeneca’s stock plunged after its heart drug trial miss dealt a rare blow to the British pharma powerhouse. Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, which is co-develop...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Deerfield Group bets on AI and talent following Martis Capital investment

Deerfield Group is officially entering its next chapter. 


The 2026 MM+M Agency 100 honoree announced last week that Martis Capital Management, a healthcare-focused private equity firm, has taken a majority stake.


This is Deerfield’s second private equity partnership and follows a five-year relationship with Edgewater Funds, which was announced in March 2021.


Deerfield CEO Frank Burrell says the move will accelerate the agency’s ongoing investments in artificial intelligence, talent and...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Why the majority of pharma brands aren’t using sound effectively

Imagine entering a hospital lobby to the sound of beach sand crunching and distant seagulls. In the elevator is the sound of the wind and flutes. Each floor has varying sound themes. This is reality for Helsinki New Children’s Hospital in Finland, which created its own distinctively calming soundscape for patients, families and staff. 


Landor’s sound brand agency Amp broke down real sonic branding case studies and other audio research in its 10th edition of Amplify magazine, titled The Sound...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Sarepta Therapeutics disclosed new safety data, including liver injury rates, for its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys during a webinar hosted by UCLA. The disclosure of the detailed safety data caps a challenging month for the company. (Endpoints News) 


BlinkRx — a company that has Donald Trump Jr. on its board — released a new service to help pharma companies create direct sales platforms after President Donald Trump ordered major pharma companies to implement DTC models. W...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

National Psoriasis Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim create GPP Awareness Day to shine light on the rare disease

In partnership with the National Psoriasis Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim has launched a new campaign to increase awareness and education for generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP). The campaign will sponsor the first GPP Awareness Day on Aug. 13. 


The day is designed to amplify awareness of GPP, a rare, severe, and potentially life-threatening condition that impacts between 2 million and 7 million people worldwide. 


The timing of the awareness day aligns with Psoriasis Action Month to wid...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams wrote in an op-ed that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shooting must serve as a wakeup call. “We need better discourse, leadership, and action to protect public health workers,” he wrote. (STAT News) 


Novartis received a boost as its autoimmune drug ianalumab succeeded in key trials. Novartis today announced positive top-line results from its Phase III trials evaluating ianalumab (VAY736) in adults with active Sjögren’s disease. (Bloomberg)...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Currax’s human-centric campaign sets an example for marketing weight loss drugs

MM+M summer intern Lola Offenback sits down with Derrick Gastineau to discuss Currax Pharmaceuticals’ latest human-centered campaign, Real Patients, Real Results.


Gastineau emphasized the importance of authentic patient voices in marketing. He explains the selection process for patient stories, Currax’s unique position in the weight loss market and how they measure the campaign’s success through engagement. 


He also delves into the channels used for consumer outreach, future storytelling s...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

AbbVie’s Skyrizi rises to the top for pharma TV ad impressions

AbbVie’s Skyrizi tallied the most TV impressions among pharma brands in July, rising from second in June. 


The psoriasis treatment achieved a share of voice (SOV) of 4.61% with 2.5 billion impressions. Its TV ad spend reached $34.7 million.


The brand grew its SOV between June to July by 22%, which coincided with a 14.5% rise in TV ad spend and an 8.7% increase in total impressions. 


Tremfya took second, falling from the No. 1 spot in June. This month, the Johnson & Johnson brand totaled...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Monday, August 11, 2025

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to discontinue mRNA vaccine funding has scientists worried about national security. If the United States were ever to be targeted in a bioterrorism attack, it would now be less prepared for that emergency, experts say. (STAT News) 


CureVac and GSK settled a years-long patent dispute with Pfizer and its partner BioNTech over the mRNA vaccine technology that was at the forefront of the world’s fight against COVID-19. The settl...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Zepbound taps comedic influence from Kym Whitley in newest campaign

Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Kym Whitley is known for her humorous storytelling. Now, she is opening up about her journey managing obesity with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound medication. 


As part of a new campaign, Whitley is partnering with Zepbound to break down the stigma surrounding obesity and inspire others to seek support and treatment. 


Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that impacts millions of Americans. Despite its large reach, there are persisting misconceptions that it is the...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Friday, August 8, 2025

As mRNA falls out of favor, are cancer vaccines next? Oncologists worry that an area yielding new treatments will hit federal resistance. (STAT News)


The Trump administration has spoken to drugmakers about raising prices of medications abroad to cut costs in the U.S. Officials told companies that they would support international negotiations if they adopt “Most Favored Nation” drug costs. (Reuters) 


Eli Lilly’s investigational obesity pill orforglipron fell short of expectations in a late...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Rx Rundown: Pfizer, SERB Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk and more

Check out this week’s medical marketing news, dealmaking and industry chatter.


Exact Sciences is acquiring exclusive U.S. rights to Freenome’s blood-based colon cancer screening test for $75 million upfront, with up to $700 million in milestone payments.


SERB Pharmaceuticals plans to buy Y-mAbs Pharmaceuticals in a $412 million all-cash deal.


CorMedix bought Melinta Therapeutics for $300 million.


Madrigal Pharmaceuticals and CSPC signed a licensing agreement for oral GLP-1 agonists....
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Monday, June 22, 2026

Inside the billion-dollar peptides gold rush. As black-market drugs go mainstream and legalization is within reach, entrepreneurs, investors and healthcare players are racing to cash in. (Bloomberg)


Data from the West Health-Gallup Affordability Index shows only about half of U.S. adults could afford healthcare and had access to quality care in the past year. Conducted from October-December 2025, the data shows affordability concerns as midterm elections approach. (STAT News) 


Johnson & Jo...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Syneos Health-Harris Poll: Emerging media taps into consumer trust

Consumers of all ages, ethnicities and political affiliation are increasingly getting healthcare information from new media sources, according to data released Monday morning by Syneos Health Communications in partnership with The Harris Poll. 


The 2026 MM+M Agency 100 honoree has worked with its clients to create effective strategies to use emerging media, such as social media, podcasts, independent digital newsletters and discussion sites, in their marketing strategies. 


However, while t...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

Five things for pharma marketers to know for Thursday, June 18, 2026

Major drugmakers are pushing back on proposed drug-pricing reforms in Europe, especially in Germany. Multiple companies have threatened to reduce investments or expansion plans if pricing restrictions move forward, highlighting growing tensions between governments and the pharma industry. (Reuters)


In another reversal, the Food and Drug Administration gave Uniqure an accelerated approval path for its Huntington’s gene therapy. Regulatory flexibility appears to be back on the FDA’s menu follow...
MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media •

How Dr. Uché Blackstock is prescribing equity for America's healthcare system

Long before she became a bestselling author, CEO of Advancing Health Equity and a media contributor, Dr. Uché Blackstock was simply her mother’s daughter. 


Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn during the 1980s and 90s, Uché and her twin sister, Oni, spent time watching their mother, Dr. Dale Gloria Blackstock, the “original Dr. Blackstock,” as she juggled a demanding career and advocating for their Brooklyn community’s right to healthcare. 


She watched her mother break down barriers, and...
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