2022 was a year filled with plenty of news and MM+M provided dynamic coverage of an industry continuing through an ongoing evolution.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted into a more endemic public health concern, we’ve reported on the most pertinent developments for our audience of medical marketers. 

Some stories stood out more than others, so we picked our top five stories from the year.

1. Jeff Bridges leads AZ’s ‘Up the Antibodies’ push

The runaway story of the year for MM+M was from The Dude himself: Jeff Bridges.

The Academy Award-winning actor starred in AstraZeneca’s Up the Antibodies to raise awareness of the risks facing the immunocompromised community during the pandemic and offer them resources and recommendations.

The campaign not only featured Bridges, a cancer survivor who also endured a battle with COVID, but also actress Emily V. Gordon and her husband, comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani. 

Blake McEvoy, head of U.S. corporate affairs, respiratory and immunology, vaccines and immune therapies at AstraZeneca, said the campaign was long overdue.

2. MM+M Awards 2022 finalists revealed

The biggest in-person event for MM+M is the annual MM+M Awards, so our audience was understandably excited to see who the finalists were when the list was unveiled over the summer. 

There were more than 40 categories filled with nominees for brand, campaign and individual recognition.

The hybrid event was held on October 6 and honored the winners in a rousing success that we look forward to replicating next year.

3. Pfizer’s COVID pill Paxlovid has profound effect in seniors

The performance of Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid was one of the most-watched healthcare developments of the year, with many waiting on bated breath for data about its effectiveness protecting patients from infection.

In September, MM+M’s Editor-at-large Marc Iskowitz delved into a large Israeli study that showed the drug appeared highly effective in seniors, though its impact of largely preventing hospitalization was not seen in the 40-64 age cohort. 

Marc spoke with Dr. Reynold Panettieri Jr., a pulmonary critical care physician and professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who was not involved in the study, to get a better sense of what the data meant for patients and the future use of the drug.

4. TikTok’s top 10 doctor influencers

Over the past couple of years, TikTok skyrocketed past other social media platforms to become the preeminent app for young people.

To that end, healthcare professionals, namely doctors, have flocked to the platform and taken on a role as influencers for users with questions about their health.

MM+M Senior Reporter Lecia Bushak detailed the most popular examples of doctor influencers on TikTok and how they’ve been able to connect with viewers in new ways.

5. MM+M debuts 2022 Agency 100

If the MM+M Awards are our brand’s leading event, the 2022 MM+M Agency 100 is our leading offering.

Every year, we survey the industry to compile a ranking of North America’s medical marketing agencies, of which we announce the results in June.

The call-to-action in January resulted in robust feedback from the top-performing agencies and indicated, as MM+M editor-in-chief Larry Dobrow pointed out, that the medical marketing agency space is “as vibrant as it’s ever been.”

Next month, readers can expect MM+M to open the consideration period for accepting surveys for the 2023 MM+M Agency 100.