UCB is launching a direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising campaign during the 96th Academy Awards Sunday night in support of its leading treatment for the psoriasis community.

The Belgian biopharma is debuting its Get Yourself Back effort to promote Bimzelx (bimekizumab-bkzx), which is was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

The ad — which is the first DTC campaign for the dermatology brand — will get airplay during the Oscars as well as throughout the rest of the month. 

Brittany Blair, head of patient strategy and solutions for immunology at UCB, told MM+M that the Get Yourself Back ad is also being previewed at the American Academy of Dermatology Congress in San Diego this weekend.

Additionally, hoops fans should take note because the campaign will run spots during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, in the coming weeks.

Blair said that beyond the rollout on Oscar night, Get Yourself Back will function as an omnichannel campaign across connected TV, online videos, social media and digital display at the point of care.

Interestingly, the campaign will not have a print component and though it is initially appearing on Facebook and Instagram, the campaign will run on TikTok within the next few months.

UCB enters a crowded space

When it comes to breaking into an increasingly saturated market of psoriasis treatments, Blair said UCB is hoping the campaign can underscore the efficacy of Bimzelx compared to other products.

By inhibiting two cytokines driving inflammatory processes — interleukin 17A (IL-17A) and interleukin 17F (IL-17F) — Bimzelx is administered in a recommended dose of 320 mg through two subcutaneous injections.

Though the drug’s Biologics License Application was rejected by the FDA in May 2022,  the agency ultimately approved the treatment following three randomized Phase 3 trials showing impressive performance treating moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in nearly 1,500 participating patients.

“UCB has set big ambitions for this medication because of how strong the efficacy profile is and how much we believe in this treatment,” she said. “Knowing that there’s a lot of other competitors in the space, we need to be there, too.”

Given its strong efficacy for psoriasis, a condition that affects an estimated 7.5 million Americans, Bimzelx is also on the table for potential label expansion.

The campaign was launched a couple of days after UCB released promising Phase 3 data indicating that Bimzelx was effective in treating skin pain and draining tunnels in adults with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa.

Empowering psoriasis patients

Measuring the campaign’s success will be based on consumer engagement and website visits, but like other pharma companies, Blair said the primary objective is to raise awareness for the condition and achieve script lift.

Given that psoriasis can have a profound impact on patients from both a physical and mental perspective, Blair added that UCB views this DTC campaign as part of its responsibility to support its patient population and empower them to take charge of their health.

When it comes to marketing in the dermatology space, especially around psoriasis, she said it’s critical to reach out to patients and incorporate their thoughts into the subsequent advertising.

“Developing the messaging, the creative idea and the media placement — all of that is with patient insight and understanding in mind,” she said. “We can’t get the patient insight and understanding if we don’t engage patients and bring them along in our development of these campaigns.”

UCB also isn’t the only pharma company advertising during the year’s biggest night in cinema.

Eli Lilly is bringing its Get Better ad campaign to the Oscars to promote its GLP-1 drugs and remind people that they aren’t for cosmetic weight loss purposes.

The pharma giant will air two short films — Big Night and Shame — on Oscar night.

For an April 2024 article on UCB’s Make HStory campaign, click here.