A screengrab from BIO’s advertisement, “Time is Precious”

1. PhRMA plans to ramp up its ad spend for the 2016 presidential election. The lobbying group said it will dole out several million dollars this year—at least 10% more than in 2015—in print, radio, and digital channels. PhRMA hopes to make the case to the public about the industry’s role in drug development and innovation. (WSJ)

2. Another life sciences lobbying group, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, is making its case to the public and lawmakers through ads. BIO launched a series of ads about innovation in the biotechnology community. Unnamed sources say the spend “is in the high six figures.” (Politico)

3. So much for no pharma ads in the Super Bowl. The championship football game had three such ads Sunday. Valeant Pharmaceuticals pushed out ads for two different brands this year; one for irritable-bowel syndrome treatment Xifaxan (which it received in its acquisition of Salix in April) and a returning ad for its toenail-fungus treatment Jublia, this time with football legends Howie Long and Deion Sanders. The third ad came from AstraZeneca in the form of an unbranded spot for opioid-induced idiopathic constipation.

4. Pfizer formally announced its leadership team following its proposed acquisition of Allergan  in November. The combined company will create a new operating segment led by Allergan’s Bill Meury, group president, global specialty and consumer brands. Pfizer will continue to manage its commercial operations through two business units—its innovative products business and established products business.

5. What’s behind the surge in pharma and celebrity personality partnerships? As our collective fascination with celebrity surges, so too have the number of celebrity-centric disease awareness and brand campaigns sponsored by drugmakers. (MM&M)