1. Medtronic (Corporate)

The medical device company, which develops insulin pumps for diabetes patients, has more than 16,000 followers. Wendy Blackburn, EVP of Intouch Solutions, said Instagram makes sense for diabetes marketing, since it has always been a disease category that is active on social media and tends to have a broad age range of patients.


2. Team Novo Nordisk (Corporate) 

“Racing to inspire, educate and empower everyone affected by diabetes” is the tagline of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes pro cycling team. This account has more than 73,000 followers and close to 2,000 posts.

3. #BreatheBoldly(Campaign)

In honor of the late Leonard Nimoy, who famously played Mr. Spock from “Star Trek,” Philips Healthcare and the COPD Foundation launched the #BreatheBoldly campaign to raise awareness of COPD in November. Celebrities such as actress Whoopi Goldberg, actor Vince Vaughn, and reality TV star Melissa Gorga posted videos on their Facebook and Instagram pages to show the challenges of suffering from the condition.


4. Flonase (Brand)

Facebook Health industry manager Danielle Salowski points to GlaxoSmithKline’s over-the-counter allergy treatment Flonase as a good example of Instagram used well, showcasing vibrant seasonal imagery with related comments and information about how allergies affect people in the winter, spring, fall, and summer.


5. Pfizer (Corporate)

Blackburn doesn’t recommend deleting comments, even when they are negative. She noted that Pfizer has a lot of trolls on its Instagram page, but doesn’t delete them. “There will always be trolls and haters,” she said. “Deleting sends the wrong message because you’re on there to engage to begin with.”

See also: How can drugmakers tell better stories? Try Instagram


6. Bayer4Animals (Corporate) 

According to a study by BarkBox, dog owners in the U.S. on average post one photo or talk about their dog on social media six times a week. Bayer Animal Health targets pet owners and animal lovers with engaging animal photos and information about keeping them healthy.


7. Tylenol (Brand)

Like Flonase, Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol ties different moments throughout their year with content that tells a story through that lens, noted Salowski. “What I like about that is people know what to expect when they see content from Tylenol,” she said. “That’s how they’re connecting and engaging, and they just do a beautiful job with their photography and taking advantage of the mobile format.”

#Ad Y’all, I’m finally enjoying my pregnancy! So grateful to my readers who told me about #Diclegis (doxylamine succinate/pyridoxine hydrochloride). It’s helped get my morning sickness under control (finally)! I was so sick of being sick & thought I’d tried everything – diet, lifestyle etc, but nothing worked. The most common side effect is drowsiness, and I love that Diclegis was studied in pregnant moms like me. If you have #MorningSickness ask your healthcare provider about Diclegis. It worked for me! Additional safety information can be found below and at www.DiclegisImportantSafetyinfo.com or www.Diclegis.com. Duchesnay USA encourages you to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. For US Residents Only Diclegis is a prescription medicine used to treat nausea and vomiting of pregnancy in women who haven’t improved with change in diet or other non-medicine treatments. Limitation of Use: Diclegis hasn’t been studied in women with hyperemesis gravidarum. Important Safety Information Do not take Diclegis if you’re allergic to doxylamine succinate, other ethanolamine derivative antihistamines, pyridoxine hydrochloride or any of the ingredients in Diclegis. You should also not take Diclegis in combination with medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), as these medicines can intensify and prolong the adverse CNS effects of Diclegis. The most common side effect of Diclegis is drowsiness. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or other activities that need your full attention unless your healthcare provider says that you may do so. Do not drink alcohol, or take other central nervous system depressants such as cough and cold medicines, certain pain medicines, and medicines that help you sleep while you take Diclegis. Severe drowsiness can happen or become worse causing falls or accidents. Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you’re breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Diclegis can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. You shouldn’t breastfeed while using Diclegis.

A photo posted by Emily Maynard Johnson (@emilygmaynard) on Jun 28, 2016 at 5:58am PDT

8. Emily Maynard for Diclegis (Influencer)

In June, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette’s Emily Maynard Johnson made a post about her experience taking Duchesnay USA’s morning sickness pill Diclegis — including safety information. It is the drugmakers second attempt at leveraging a celebrity spokesperson’s Instagram handle — following a less successful example with Kim Kardashian West in July 2015 — to reach its target audience of expectant mothers.


9. Novartis (Corporate)

Novartis’ corporate Instagram page comprises a mix of images and videos showing their corporate history and milestones, social and humanitarian efforts, and the drugmaker’s attention to education and training.


10. Sanofi (Corporate)

There are drugmakers like Sanofi that have created an Instagram handle but not yet activated it with posts.