Pelthos Therapeutics is looking to protective mothers to raise awareness about the treatment of an infection that causes sores.
The company, which until recently was part of Ligand Pharmaceuticals, launched a treatment for molluscum contagiosum in July. The FDA’s early 2024 sign-off made Zelsuvmi the first at-home prescription treatment for molluscum infections.
The infection causes small lesions on the skin and usually goes away without treatment, but it typically takes six to 12 months for the sores to resolve.
Because molluscum mainly affects children, Pelthos is ramping up the rollout by targeting moms who are unwilling to play the waiting game. The company this week launched a “movement” that urges parents and caregivers to visit its “Moms Against Molluscum” website, which features the tagline, “When it comes to molluscum, these mothers don’t mess around.”
The website introduces Zelsuvmi and includes a call for stories from moms and other caregivers. Pelthos wants to hear more about individuals’ experiences with managing molluscum infections, especially if they included Zelsuvmi.
“This is about putting an end to the wondering, the waiting and the loneliness that comes with a diagnosis of molluscum,” Toni Morgan, a parent, said in the campaign launch announcement. “I don’t want other parents to have to deal with this alone, as I have in the past. We are now able to build a supportive, positive community around this experience.”
The website is part of a broader push to raise awareness of molluscum and Zelsuvmi. Pelthos’ attempts to reach caregivers include (PDF) banner ads, native and paid search, social media and testimonial videos. The company is also working to educate healthcare providers through a range of channels.
Pelthos is running the marketing campaign to support a sales force of 50 territory managers who are targeting the top treaters of molluscum. The company is still early in the launch: Pelthos first shared data for the week ending July 11, when five prescribers wrote seven scripts. By the week ending Aug. 22, the company had 162 prescribers writing 234 scripts. Pelthos has forecast that the momentum will lead to annual net revenue of $175 million by 2028.
Meeting that target would represent a major win for Ligand, which rescued the program from Novan’s bankruptcy proceedings in 2023 and won FDA approval for Zelsuvmi a few months later. It took 18 months to launch the drug after the approval, in which time Ligand built Pelthos as a standalone company and merged the unit with Channel Therapeutics to gain a stock market listing.