UCB extends Bimzelx ad campaign in wake of hidradenitis suppurativa approval

Several months after the FDA signed off on Bimzelx’s label expansion into hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), UCB is expanding an existing campaign to include the drug’s new indication.

UCB initially debuted the “Get Yourself Back” direct-to-consumer push during the 2024 Academy Awards broadcast in March of last year, marking the Belgian pharma’s return to DTC advertising after more than a decade out of the game. 

To start, the ads focused on plaque psoriasis, which became Bimzelx’s first approved indication in late 2023; that approval was quickly followed by three more last September, in psoriatic arthritis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. The HS nod arrived in November.

That latest addition to the label is the subject of the extension to the ad campaign that UCB unveiled on Tuesday. The new materials are aimed at raising awareness of both Bimzelx and of the challenges that come with living with the chronic inflammatory skin condition, according to the company, and were developed based on feedback from members of the HS community.

The expansion includes new TV commercials starring three HS patients, plus complementary digital, social media and in-office ads. Patient stories will also be featured on an accompanying website, where visitors will be able to access educational information about HS and its management options, as well as resources and tools like a downloadable doctor discussion guide.

“The impact of HS extends beyond physical symptoms," Brittany Blair, U.S. head of patient strategy and solutions for UCB’s immunology unit, said in the announcement. "People living with HS experience stigma that affects all areas of life, including interpersonal relationships, education, and work—and this stigma can prevent them from seeking treatment."

“Awareness about treatment options, like Bimzelx, is crucial for ensuring patients are well-informed, can have open discussions with their doctors, and have access to treatments that can offer relief and help them regain control of their lives,” Blair added.

UCB bills Bimzelx as the first and only approved treatment in its five indications that targets both IL-17A and IL-17F, cytokines closely linked to the inflammatory process.

The pharma began its outreach to the HS community well before securing Bimzelx’s approval in the indication. In the spring of 2024, UCB launched an unbranded disease awareness campaign dubbed “Make HStory” that spotlighted the HS patient experience and offered support for managing the condition.

Earlier this year, with the approval in hand, the company continued the campaign, recruiting Sandra Lee, M.D., better known as Dr. Pimple Popper, to host a discussion with several “HStory Maker” patient advocates.

Meanwhile, UCB also hosted its inaugural HS Summit at its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta last August, with an aim of bringing together patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to talk about the HS treatment journey and patients’ unmet needs.