After a strong start to the year—as evidenced by the nearly 30% year-over-year increase in the top 10 brands’ first-quarter TV drug ad outlay—spending on pharmaceutical commercials has slowed throughout the second quarter so far.
The 10 biggest spenders shelled out a combined $233.6 million to air their ads in April, down from March’s $248 million total. According to the latest data from iSpot.TV, spending continued to fall in May, dropping to $221.1 million—though it should be noted that this year’s numbers are still well above 2024’s, when the monthly totals rarely cracked $200 million.
The month-over-month decrease was evident in many of the top 10 drugs’ individual spending totals, as seven saw their total TV outlay drop in May, leading to quite a bit of movement in the rankings.
In fact, only one brand held steady from the April rankings: AbbVie’s Skyrizi maintained its top spot, thanks to a May spending total that weighed in only $500,000 lower than April’s. It was followed by three more immunology heavyweights, with Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent and Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya both climbing up in the rankings while AbbVie’s Rinvoq dropped one spot to take fourth.
Novo Nordisk slashed its spending on TV ads for Wegovy by almost 24% between April and May, from $31.6 million to $24.1 million, sending it from second to fifth place. Back in March, Wegovy took the No. 1 spot, with more than $40 million thrown behind its singular TV ad for the month.
Next up was Lundbeck and Otsuka’s Rexulti, which fell one spot alongside a slight drop in spending, and then Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance, one of the few climbers on the May list, which jumped two spots as spending ticked up from $16.4 million in April to nearly $19 million last month.
All of the shifts in spending made room for Lilly’s Zepbound to re-enter the ranking at No. 8, the same spot it held in March before slipping off the list in April. Its TV ad spending last month reached $14 million, nearly double April’s $7.3 million total.
Rounding out May’s top 10 list were Novo’s Ozempic and AbbVie’s Vraylar, both of which dropped two spots from the month before, with total monthly spending of $13.1 million and $12.8 million, respectively.
Below, find the full data for May’s 10 biggest pharma ad spenders, as compiled by iSpot.TV.
1. Skyrizi
Movement: No change
What is it? AbbVie’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $34.2 million (down from $34.7 million in April)
Number of spots: Four (three psoriasis, one Crohn’s/UC)
Biggest-ticket ad: “In the Picture” (est. $20.3 million)
2. Dupixent
Movement: Up four spots
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $28.2 million (up from $24.3 million in April)
Number of spots: Seven (three asthma, four eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “This Is Better: Roller Disco” (est. $12.1 million)
3. Tremfya
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $26.7 million (down from $28.6 million in April)
Number of spots: Five (two psoriasis, two ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Break Away” (est. $14.7 million)
4. Rinvoq
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? AbbVie’s JAKi immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $26.6 million (down from $29 million in April)
Number of spots: Six (three eczema, two UC/Crohn’s, one arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Just Okay: Jet Ski” (est. $9.2 million)
5. Wegovy
Movement: Down three spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for obesity
Est. national TV ad spend: $24.1 million (down from $31.6 million in April)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Power: $0” (est. $24.1 million)
6. Rexulti
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Lundbeck and Otsuka’s neurology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $22.5 million (down from $25.4 million in April)
Number of spots: Two (one depression, one Alzheimer’s)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Still Masking: Garage and Office” (est. $13 million)
7. Jardiance
Movement: Up two spots
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes and kidney disease drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $18.9 million (up from $16.4 million in April)
Number of spots: Three (one CKD, two diabetes)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Baseball” (est. $8 million)
8. Zepbound
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? Eli Lilly’s GIP/GLP-1 agonist for obesity
Est. national TV ad spend: $14 million (up from $7.3 million in April)
Number of spots: Three
Biggest-ticket ad: “Stuck” (est. $11.8 million)
9. Ozempic
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for diabetes
Est. national TV ad spend: $13.1 million (down from $18.2 million in April)
Number of spots: Two
Biggest-ticket ad: “Testimonials: Michael and Tanya” (est. $6.9 million)
10. Vraylar
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? AbbVie’s bipolar and MDD drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $12.8 million (down from $16.5 million in April)
Number of spots: Two (one depression, one bipolar)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Stuck in My Head: Basketball” (est. $9.3 million)