Sanofi has formed a “celebrity mom squad” to promote immunization against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The troupe of celebrity endorsers features actor-singer Mandy Moore and four other famous moms who are using Sanofi’s Beyfortus to help protect their babies against the respiratory virus.
With RSV season starting next month in the U.S., Sanofi is ramping up awareness efforts ahead of a fight with new entrant Merck for the market. Sanofi’s Beyfortus had the long-acting anti-RSV antibody market to itself last year, but it will face competition from Merck’s rival product Enflonsia this time around.
To gear up for the showdown, Sanofi has put together a squad of paid celebrity ambassadors for Beyfortus, including Moore, author Elaine Welteroth, chef Gaby Dalkin, citizen astronaut Katya Echazarreta and gold-medal Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East.
The French drugmaker focused on Moore in its announcement kicking off the campaign on Wednesday. In a statement, the “This Is Us” actress explained how her desire to protect her newborn daughter against RSV was informed by the experience of her two older sons catching the virus.
“They didn't need to go to the hospital, but it was still really hard,” Moore said. “When Lou was born in September, I asked our pediatrician, Dr. Danny, what we could do to help protect her. Without hesitation, he recommended Beyfortus and was adamant about me bringing my baby in on October 1st, the first day Beyfortus is available for babies entering their first RSV season.”
A campaign video shows the five moms meeting at Dalkin’s house to discuss their experiences with RSV and their decisions to immunize their babies—or, to use Sanofi’s neologism, to get their babies “Beyrified” against RSV.
Beyfortus sales hit 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) in 2024, becoming a blockbuster in its first year on the market.
Thomas Triomphe, who leads Sanofi’s vaccines business, told investors on an earnings call in July that the company expects “some growth” for Beyfortus this year amid increased competition. Triomphe predicted Beyfortus will stay the “dominant player” and noted that Sanofi is expanding into new markets to fuel growth.