Think you saw a lot of TV ads
for drugs in 2017? That's because you did. Pharma spending on national TV ads
for 2017 climbed even higher than in 2016—by more than $330 million. The total
tally was $3.45 billion, compared with $3.11 billion in 2016, according to
data from real-time TV tracker iSpot.tv.
AbbVie antiinflammatory Humira
led the way with $341 million spent on 16 commercials across three of its
different indications: arthritis, psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease and ulcerative
colitis. However, the drug fell short of topping its 2016 total of $344 million. Broken out by indication, AbbVie spent
$179 million on arthritis, $114 million on Crohn's and colitis, and another $48
million on psoriasis Humira commercials.