To live a life with hereditary angioedema (HAE) involves dealing with debilitating, spontaneous swelling attacks most commonly affecting a person’s airways, intestinal tracks, face and limbs. 

Often, people living with this rare genetic disorder carry concerns of the next attack with them on a daily basis.

Luckily, there are a host of options in the crowded prophylactic HAE market, including Takeda’s Takhzyro and Cinryze as well as CSL Behring’s Haegarda. Additionally, there is Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ RNA-targeted treatment, which delivered promising Phase 3 trial results earlier this year.

In a bid to get a leg up on rival treatment options and support the HAE patient population, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals recently launched a promotional campaign for Orladeyo. 

Orladeyo is a once daily pill used to prevent the onset of HAE attacks, which differentiates it from the injectable treatment options.

The campaign also represents a continuation of the rare disease biotech’s previous efforts by emphasizing patient and caregiver stories while also providing additional real world evidence of the efficacy of the drug. 

Gabrielle Dauster, director of U.S. healthcare provider (HCP) marketing told MM+M that the company’s leadership recognized a need to ensure their target audience was clear on the efficacy of the product while also utilizing more relatable avenues to spread the information. 

For that reason, BioCryst has centered its marketing around putting the emphasis on the “and” in relation to its “convenient and effective” treatment. 

BioCryst is banking on patient testimonials to drive the emotional component of the campaign and connect experiences felt by those in the HAE community. 

To compile the testimonials, the company filmed roundtable discussions between users as well as glimpses into their daily lives. BioCryst coupled this approach with educational programming on the drug to build a connection with patients. 

A video from the campaign features Kissa, a patient living with HAE, who offers viewers a peek into her life, her care journey and how Orladeyo has impacted her lifestyle.

Dauster noted that many HAE patients are like Kissa – playing the role of both patient and caregiver, which meant it was important to further incorporate the latter group into the advertising strategy.

“They’re the ones who are supporting folks with the disease when they’re having attacks and sometimes they’re the ones who are actually injecting them with other forms of treatment,” she said. 

The campaign lives across multiple platforms, according to Dauster, including a dedicated website and BioCryst’s social media platforms in addition to educational brochures for patients and HCPs.

She predicted the biotech will have a significant increase in visits to the website, noting that they will be monitoring click throughs and page views as key performance indicators for digital assets.

The campaign’s success will largely be measured by engagement and conversations BioCryst has with patient advocacy groups and physicians, but Dauster said the key objective is still to have more HAE patients address their symptoms with Orladeyo.

“The ultimate goal is to see a consistent uptick in adoption of the product itself, which is a signal of more confidence in the data and more confidence in the patient experience,” she said. 

This story has been updated.