<div id="readability-page-1"><div id="article-body-row"> <div> Pharma advertisers have kicked off 2025 with a bang, with the top 10 spenders throwing almost 30% more money behind their TV commercials in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago. Across the first three months of this year, according to iSpot.TV, drugmakers have spent a combined $729.4 million to air commercials for the top 10 brands, up from $567.3 million in the first quarter of 2024. That represents a slight sequential increase, too, growing close to 2% over the $717.4 million outlay from the biggest spenders in the fourth quarter of 2024. The spending spree was helped along by several major broadcast events throughout the period. Six of the top 10 drugs on the list counted NFL programming as their top TV program by spend, and another two listed men’s college basketball in the top slot—fitting for a quarter that included both the Super Bowl and the majority of the annual NCAA March Madness tournament. Outside of the world of sports, Otsuka and Lundbeck’s Rexulti, which took sixth place for the quarter, named the Oscars as its top TV program by spend. During the March 2 ceremony, the pharma partners aired a commercial highlighting Rexulti’s indication as an add-on treatment for depression, which weighed in as its biggest-ticket ad for the full quarter. Only one brand in the quarter’s top 10 listed a non-seasonal TV program as its top target: No. 5, Regeneron and Sanofi’s Dupixent, which captured a 12.2% share of voice through its commercials aired during the nightly “ABC World News Tonight With David Muir.” The quarter’s total started off with an early surge. In January, the top 10 brands poured a combined $302.5 million into airing their commercials—higher than any of 2024’s single-month totals, none of which crossed the $300 million mark—led by Novartis’ prostate cancer drug Pluvicto, with $47 million behind it. Despite the Feb. 9 Super Bowl, spending plummeted in the truncated month of February. The $204.5 million total was led by AbbVie’s immunology giant Rinvoq, with just under $35 million spent airing five ads across eczema, arthritis and ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease. To close out the quarter, things leveled back out in March, with $248 million spent advertising the top 10 drugs. That month, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy took the top spot, as the company threw more than $40 million into airing just one spot for the GLP-1 blockbuster. <figure></figure>All three of those monthly list-toppers made the quarterly ranking, with Rinvoq in the No. 1 place. They’re joined by several other familiar faces, including additional GLP-1 heavy-hitters like Novo’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, plus AbbVie’s other immunology giant Skyrizi and Johnson &amp; Johnson’s own immunology offering Tremfya, which took the 2nd place spot in both January and March. Below, find the full data for Q1’s 10 biggest TV pharma ad spenders as compiled by iSpot.TV. 1. Rinvoq Movement (from Q4 2024): Up three spots What is it? AbbVie’s JAKi immunology drug Est. national TV ad spend: $108 million (up from $96.7 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Five (two UC/Crohn’s, one arthritis, two eczema) Biggest-ticket ad: “Just Okay: Jet Ski” (est. $42 million) 2. Tremfya Movement: Up one spot What is it? Johnson &amp; Johnson’s immunology drug Est. national TV ad spend: $98 million (down from $100.7 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Four (one ulcerative colitis, three psoriasis) Biggest-ticket ad: “Break Away” (est. $66.3 million) 3. Wegovy Movement: Down one spot What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for obesity Est. national TV ad spend: $97.2 million (down from $121.2 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: One Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Power: $0” (est. $97.2 million) 4. Skyrizi Movement: Down three spots What is it? AbbVie’s immunology drug Est. national TV ad spend: $89.7 million (down from $125.8 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Six (four psoriasis, one Crohn’s/UC, one psoriatic arthritis) Biggest-ticket ad: “In the Picture” (est. $47.8 million) 5. Dupixent Movement: No change What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology drug Est. national TV ad spend: $75.7 million (down from $77.3 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Eight (six eczema, two asthma) Biggest-ticket ad: “Kenny” (est. $27.4 million) 6. Rexulti Movement: No change What is it? Lundbeck and Otsuka’s neurology drug Est. national TV ad spend: $67.9 million (up from $44.3 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Two (one depression, one Alzheimer’s) Biggest-ticket ad: “Still Masking: Garage and Office” (est. $44.9 million) 7. Pluvicto Movement: No change What is it? Novartis’ prostate cancer drug Est. national TV ad spend: $54.4 million (up from $42.1 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: One Biggest-ticket ad: “Perseverance” (est. $54.4 million) 8. Jardiance Movement: Not among top 10 in Q4 2024 What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes and kidney disease drug Est. national TV ad spend: $50.6 million (up from $26.4 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Three (one CKD, two diabetes) Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Store” (est. $37.3 million) 9. Ozempic Movement: Down one spot What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for diabetes Est. national TV ad spend: $46.9 million (up from $39.7 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Three Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Ozempic Tri-Zone: Boxing” (est. $25.7 million) 10. Zepbound Movement: Not among top 10 in Q4 2024 What is it? Eli Lilly’s GIP/GLP-1 agonist for obesity Est. national TV ad spend: $41 million (up from $8.7 million in Q4 2024) Number of spots: Five Biggest-ticket ad: “Change” (est. $23.1 million) </div> </div></div>

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Pharma advertisers increased their TV ad spending by nearly 30% in Q1 2025, totaling $729.4 million compared to $567.3 million in Q1 2024. The top 10 brands benefitted from major broadcast events, with NFL programming and the NCAA March Madness tournament driving costs. AbbVie’s Rinvoq led the spending at $108 million, followed by Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya at $98 million. Despite a dip in February, March spending rebounded to $248 million, with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy taking the top spot for the month.

TV drug ad spending grows nearly 30% in Q1