Almirall has rolled out a new campaign for World Atopic Eczema Day, kicking off its “The True Colours of Atopic Dermatitis” initiative to raise awareness of the mental burden of skin diseases.
The Spanish pharma company sells a range of skin disease treatments including Ebglyss, the anti-IL-13 antibody that Eli Lilly markets in the U.S. Almirall, which optioned the European rights for $50 million in 2019, reported more than 100% quarter-on-quarter growth in sales of the recently launched drug in the second quarter. Lilly linked Ebglyss to improved mental health and quality of life in phase 3.
Almirall has put the effects of atopic dermatitis on mental health at the center of its latest awareness campaign. The company has created a campaign website that encourages visitors to click on one of eight different colors to learn about the spectrum of feelings experienced by people living with eczema.
The feelings are frustration, isolation, shame, relief, anxiety, distress, fear and resignation. For each of the emotions, Almirall outlines why patients may feel that way—explaining, for example, that frustration stems from the unpredictability of flare-ups—and in most cases presents data to support its view. The data include the finding that up to 50% of patients avoid social interactions because of their appearance.
Almirall has also created a video, which features dermatologists discussing the experience of patients. A series of other videos focus on the different emotions patients can feel. Almirall’s focus on color and use of lines such as “it’s time to illustrate atopic dermatitis patients’ feelings so that we can understand their true colors” calls back to the virtual art gallery that the company launched one year ago.
Similarly, the focus on the effect of atopic dermatitis on mental health echoes Almirall’s psoriasis campaigns. Last year, the Spanish drugmaker released a mini-series that dramatized how psoriasis can negatively affect mental health and quality of life. Later in the year, Almirall made the mini-series and the well-being data that informed the drama the centerpiece of its communication for World Psoriasis Day.