>>Back
Novo’s Wegovy, J&J’s Tremfya step up TV ad spending amid March Madness tournament
  • Publisher:Phexcom
  • Publication:2025/4/3

Last year, AbbVie’s Skyrizi and Rinvoq were practically unshakeable atop the monthly TV drug ad spending rankings, ultimately leading the pair of immunology meds to take the full-year title for the third year in a row.

2025, however, is already off to a very different start. So far this year, Skyrizi and Rinvoq have only cracked the top two of the monthly rankings once, in February—in stark contrast to the first three months of 2024, when they consistently nabbed first and second place in varying orders.

In both January and March of this year, the duo has dropped to third and fourth place. In January, they were overtaken by Novartis’ Pluvicto and Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya; last month, it was Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and J&J’s immunology med that leapfrogged over the previous leaders, according to the latest data from iSpot.TV.

Novo nearly doubled its TV ad spending for Wegovy in March, laying out $40.4 million for the month, compared to $25.8 million in February, when it took third place. J&J, meanwhile, spent $32.6 million to air a quartet of Tremfya commercials, compared to $20.1 million the previous month and the $44.1 million total that earned it the No. 2 spot in January.

Both of the month’s leaders capitalized on the March Madness hype, as iSpot reports that the top TV program by spend for both of the leaders was men’s college basketball.

Next up were Rinvoq and Skyrizi, in that order. AbbVie put down $29.2 million to air five Rinvoq ads and $27.9 million for six Skyrizi spots—representing a $5 million reduction for Rinvoq, but a slight increase for Skyrizi, compared to February’s totals.

Lundbeck and Otsuka’s Rexulti took fifth, climbing one spot from February as its monthly spend increased from $19.3 million to just over $26 million. Its top TV program by spend was the Oscars broadcast, another of the month’s major cultural events.

Taking sixth place was Novo’s Ozempic, up from No. 10 the previous month, thanks to $21.7 million spent airing a trio of ads. Moving in the opposite direction was Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent, which dropped three spots to No. 7 in March as TV ad spending fell from $22.4 million to just under $21 million.

A pair of Eli Lilly meds took eighth and ninth place: GLP-1 giant Zepbound, in its first appearance on the 2025 rankings, with $19 million, and diabetes med Jardiance, dropping one spot from February with $15.8 million in TV ad spending.

Rounding out the top 10 was another newcomer to the year’s lists: AbbVie’s Vraylar, with $14.3 million spent on a trio of commercials.

All together, the 10 biggest spenders laid out $248 million on TV drug ad spending in March—leveling out to a happy medium between January’s whopping $302.5 million and February’s plummet to $204.5 million.

Below, find the full data for March’s 10 biggest pharma ad spenders, as compiled by iSpot.TV.

1. Wegovy
Movement: Up two spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for obesity
Est. national TV ad spend: $40.4 million (up from $25.8 million in February)
Number of spots: One
Biggest-ticket ad: “Discover the Power: $0” (est. $40.4 million)

2. Tremfya 
Movement: Up three spots
What is it? Johnson & Johnson’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $32.6 million (up from $20.1 million in February)
Number of spots: Four (one ulcerative colitis, three psoriasis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Break Away” (est. $23.3 million)

3. Rinvoq 
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? AbbVie’s JAKi immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $29.2 million (down from $34.8 million in February)
Number of spots: Five (two eczema, two UC/Crohn’s, one arthritis) 
Biggest-ticket ad: “Just Okay: Jet Ski” (est. $11.7 million)

4. Skyrizi 
Movement: Down two spots
What is it? AbbVie’s immunology drug 
Est. national TV ad spend: $27.9 million (up from $27 million in February)
Number of spots: Six (four psoriasis, one Crohn’s/UC, one psoriatic arthritis)
Biggest-ticket ad: “In the Picture” (est. $15.1 million)

5. Rexulti
Movement: Up one spot
What is it? Lundbeck and Otsuka’s neurology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $26.2 million (up from $19.3 million in February)
Number of spots: Two (one depression, one Alzheimer’s) 
Biggest-ticket ad: “Still Masking: Garage and Office” (est. $18.1 million)

6. Ozempic
Movement: Up four spots
What is it? Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for diabetes
Est. national TV ad spend: $21.7 million (up from $10.6 million in February)
Number of spots: Three 
Biggest-ticket ad: “Testimonials: Michael and Tanya” (est. $16.1 million)

7. Dupixent
Movement: Down three spots
What is it? Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $20.9 million (down from $22.4 million in February)
Number of spots: Six (two asthma, four eczema)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Kenny” (est. $7.9 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: $19 million (up from $8.4 million in February)
Number of spots: Four 
Biggest-ticket ad: “Change: What's Possible” (est. $13.8 million)

9. Jardiance
Movement: Down one spot
What is it? Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes and kidney disease drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $15.8 million (up from $13.9 million in February)
Number of spots: Three (one CKD, two diabetes)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Musical: Store” (est. $11.2 million)

10. Vraylar
Movement: Not listed last month
What is it? AbbVie’s bipolar and MDD drug
Est. national TV ad spend: $14.3 million (up from $8.9 million in February)
Number of spots: Three (one depression, two bipolar)
Biggest-ticket ad: “Stuck in My Head: Basketball” (est. $11.2 million)