Merck is making its pitch for how high levels of so-called “bad cholesterol” can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke with its new “Playing with Heart” project.
The campaign is designed to educate people about low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which can be measured through a routine blood test, and how to manage high levels.
During the 2026 baseball season, the campaign will feature baseball legends, teams and ambassadors sharing their experiences with high LDL cholesterol.
Merck, along with WomenHeart, a nonprofit supporting women with or at risk for heart disease, and nine professional baseball teams, will also host in-stadium events to provide education about bad cholesterol and encourage adults to learn more about the increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
The teams include the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Braves, Astros, Cardinals, Giants, Padres and Angels.
Many drugmakers have turned to sports for campaigns in recent years, including Eli Lilly, Biogen, AbbVie, Pfizer and Sanofi, tapping everything from the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup to basketball, baseball and football.
So why baseball for Merck?
“Baseball is America’s pastime; you grow up with these players, you see them on TV, and there is this relationship that you build with them,” said Cris Regent, associate vice president of U.S. pharma cardiovascular and metabolic at Merck, in an interview with Fierce Pharma Marketing.
“When you hear these players speak, you stop and you listen. What’s really special about what we’re doing here is we’re reaching people through players they respect and want to listen to.”
The effort is also a “broad and consistent campaign” across the nine teams and across the U.S., Regent said.
It works on a local level as well, as the baseball legends can help spread the message in their communities.
“These people remember them,” Regent said, calling the campaign “something different” from other pharma efforts.
Merck launched the campaign last fall, initially teaming up with WomenHeart and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Regent said the company learned from its work with the Cardinals that this community-based approach resonates.
Personal stories are also integral to the project. That approach has become more common in pharma marketing in recent years, making campaigns more relatable and impactful.
Heart disease and high cholesterol can be tricky for marketers. While conditions such as COPD or cancer often come with persistent and worsening symptoms that prompt doctor visits, high LDL-C is “silent,” quietly causing damage and blockages until a major cardiovascular event occurs.
“It’s silent until something bad happens,” Regent said. “From a marketing perspective, the most important thing is to educate people to get checked for their LDL-C levels. It is in you, and you need to pay attention to your number.”
The campaign also includes a social media component, with certain teams and players using their channels to promote it, alongside a new website aimed at educating and encouraging people to have their cholesterol levels checked.
High LDL-C is a primary driver of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) because it contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries.
There are currently no treatments to reverse atherosclerosis, but cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins can help.
Just last month, Merck highlighted its third successful phase 3 trial of its PCSK9 inhibitor enlicitide.
Investigators randomized 301 statin-treated adults with ASCVD to receive enlicitide or one of three control regimens. Patients in the control arms took bempedoic acid, ezetimibe or both drugs in combination.
On day 56, LDL-C had fallen by an average of 64.6% in the enlicitide cohort. Patients on the combination of bempedoic acid and ezetimibe had the next-largest decline, but the reduction lagged well behind the study drug at 36.5%.
After reviewing topline results last year, Guggenheim Securities analysts said in a note to investors that they see a path for enlicitide sales to exceed the $2.8 billion consensus estimate for 2033.
Merck has long sold treatments for high cholesterol and heart disease, anchored by its decades-old statin portfolio, as well as more recent approvals for Verquvo in chronic heart failure and Winrevair in pulmonary arterial hypertension.