Asthma season is in full swing and AstraZeneca is raising awareness about its severe asthma treatment, Fasenra, as part of its ongoing Stepping Back Out campaign.

The latest installment of the campaign builds upon last year’s Move Forward with Fasenra campaign, which sought to boost awareness of the drug among asthma patients who have tried other treatments and may be at the end of their rope.

In particular, AstraZeneca is highlighting Fasenra’s potential to manage eosinophilic asthma — a severe form of asthma that may not always respond to common asthma medications.

In a one-minute long Stepping Back Out video ad, the narrator notes that asthma can make you miss out on those epic hikes with friends and encourages viewers to “step back out there” with Fasenra.

“Fasenra helps prevent asthma attacks,” the video continues. “Most patients did not have an attack in the first year. Fasenra is proven to help you breathe better so you can go back to doing day-to-day activities.”

Matthew Gray, executive business director of Fasenra marketing at AstraZeneca, told MM+M the campaign is an extension of the work the drugmaker has been doing to try to get eosinophilic asthma patients on a therapy that can make a difference in their lives.

The video plays on the feeling of FOMO (or the fear of missing out), showing people scrolling on social media while at home on the couch. 

They see images depicting others living life in the outdoors — hiking, going for bike rides, or playing basketball. The video then shows people jumping out of the screen and back outside to take part in their everyday activities.

“We tried to take advantage of what I call the ‘death scroll’ — when you’re not feeling up to doing something, and you’ll sit and scroll through Instagram or X,” Gray said. “When we listen to patients that are often trapped inside, they can’t do the things that they want to do when their asthma is out of control. What Fasenra does is open that back up — the ability to go outside, to be yourself and do the things you want.”

He added that there is a social media element in the campaign as well, with Fasenra launching its first TikTok ad with the Stepping Back Out video. He noted that TikTok skewing younger in terms of demographics will help AstraZeneca reach a burgeoning audience.

The British pharma giant is building on the momentum of its marketing for this therapeutic area.

Last year, AstraZeneca’s Move Forward with Fasenra campaign generated a 5% increase in awareness of the drug among severe asthma patients, the pharma said. It also spurred a 10% boost in awareness of eosinophilic asthma among patients.

This year, the team is planning to measure brand awareness driven by the new campaign, as well as any increases in engagement and actions.

“The thing I love about working on this brand is the patient stories that we get back,” Gray said. “There are patients out there that we reached that were able to go to their health care providers and have this potentially life-changing medicine available.”