In an echo of the pattern laid last year, following a record-high outlay at the very beginning of the year, TV drug ad spending has crept downward as 2025 has gone on.
According to data shared with Fierce Pharma Marketing by iSpot.TV, in the second quarter of the year, pharmas shelled out a combined $675.1 million to air commercials for the top 10 drug brands.
That marks about a 7% decline from the first quarter of 2025, when the total reached nearly $730 million. The first quarter was anchored by a particularly strong January, when the top 10 brands spent more than $300 million on TV ads—a feat not seen at all in 2024 and yet to be replicated in the ensuing months of 2025.
In fact, the second quarter saw each monthly total decrease from the one before. In April, the top 10 brands poured $233.6 million into airing their ads that month, compared to March’s $248 million. AbbVie’s Skyrizi took the lead in TV drug ad spending for the first time all year, after a very dominant 2024.
Almost all of the biggest spenders saw a month-over-month decrease in their individual outlays in May, when the combined total weighed in at $221.1 million, with Skyrizi still on top.
The period closed out with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy knocking Skyrizi down a peg in June. Amid the shake-up, the 10 biggest brands spent $219.4 million getting their promos on TV screens.
For the full quarter, Skyrizi ultimately took first place, thanks to just over $100 million spent on its ads. Wegovy’s $96 million total was hot on its heels, with AbbVie’s Rinvoq—the first quarter’s leader—a somewhat distant third, at $84.4 million for the quarter.
All three of the second quarter's biggest spenders counted sports as their primary TV targets: Both Skyrizi and Wegovy listed the NBA as their top program by spend, while ESPN’s SportsCenter led the way for Rinvoq.
Minus No. 10, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, which also named the NBA as its top program, the rest of the period’s top 10 spenders focused their efforts on news broadcasts, with their top TV programs by spend split evenly between NBC’s “Today” show and ABC’s “World News Tonight With David Muir.”
So far, 2025’s TV drug ad spending trends are following a similar path to 2024’s, when a high-flying January was followed by a steep dropoff, with the first month’s total not topped until the final quarter of the year.
But while 2025 may be sticking to last year’s pattern, it’s doing so on a consistently scaled-up level: The second-quarter spending total marked a 28.1% increase compared to the same period last year, almost equal to the 28.6% year-over-year jump logged in the first quarter.
Below, find the full data for Q2’s 10 biggest TV pharma ad spenders, as compiled by iSpot.TV.
1. Skyrizi
Movement (from Q1 2025): Up three spots
What is it? AbbVie’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $100.1 million (up from $89.7 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Five (four psoriasis, one Crohn’s/UC, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “In the Picture” (est. $56.7 million)
2. Wegovy
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for obesity
Est. national TV ad spend: $96 million (down from $97.2 million in Q1)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Power: $0” (est. $96 million)
3. Rinvoq
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? AbbVie’s JAKi immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $84.4 million (down from $108 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Six (three eczema, two UC/Crohn’s, one arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Just Okay: Jet Ski” (est. $29.5 million)
4. Tremfya
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $83.5 million (down from $98 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Seven (four psoriasis, two ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Break Away” (est. $36.9 million)
5. Rexulti
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Lundbeck and Otsuka’s neurology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $74 million (up from $67.9 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Three (one depression, two Alzheimer’s)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Still Masking: Garage and Office” (est. $39.5 million)
6. Dupixent
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $66.8 million (down from $75.7 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Nine (six eczema, three asthma)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Kenny” (est. $23.9 million)
7. Jardiance
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes and kidney disease drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $53 million (up from $50.6 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Four (two CKD, two diabetes)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Baseball” ($24.3 million)
8. Ozempic
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for diabetes
Est. national TV ad spend: $43.3 million (down from $46.9 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Testimonials: Michael and Tanya” (est. $23.7 million)
9. Vraylar
Movement: Not listed in Q1
What is it? AbbVie’s bipolar and MDD drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $37.4 million (up from $31.2 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Two (one depression, one bipolar)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Stuck in My Head: Basketball” (est. $27.7 million)
10. Zepbound
Movement: No change
What is it? Eli Lilly’s GIP/GLP-1 agonist for obesity
Est. national TV ad spend: $36.6 million (down from $41 million in Q1)
Number of spots: Six
Biggest-ticket ad: “Change: Savings Options” (est. $15.8 million)