Sepracor has shifted its Lunesta DTC advertising businessfrom McCann Erickson to Kaplan Thaler Group.

Since 2006, ads featuringLunesta’s moth have ranked tops in viewer recall, according to IAG Research,and Sepracor leads the industry in DTC spending as a result of its heftyoutlays on the brand’s behalf. From January 2006 through September 2007,Lunesta DTC spend totaled nearly $453 million, according to TNS MediaIntelligence. By contrast, Sanofi-Aventis spent a scant $265 million onconsumer ads for its Ambien franchise, and Takeda spent a paltry $171 millionpromoting Rozerem to consumers.