AstraZeneca is answering OTC Prevacid with ads touting Nexium’s nighttime benefits.

The Purple Pill features 30-second TV spots that take a comical look at the lengths to which acid reflux sufferers will go for a good night’s sleep.

The first spot in the series, by Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, shows a middle-aged man cranking up the head of his bed using a car jack to prevent nocturnal heartburn — and prompting the family cat to slide off with a yowl. The narrator says: “Desperate for nighttime heartburn relief? For many, Nexium helps relieve heartburn day and night.”

Print ads will launch in a few weeks, AstraZeneca said.

In November, Novartis Consumer Health launched OTC Prevacid24HR with a $200 million marketing campaign touting the drug’s promise of round-the-clock coverage. Nexium must also contend with P&G’s Prilosec OTC and Eisai/PriCara’s prescription AcipHex, among other treatments in the heavily advertised category.

Novartis consolidated consumer advertising for Prevacid24HR into Euro RSCG Adrenaline from Deutsch late last month. The Euro RSCG shop handles several other Novartis Consumer Health gastrointestinal brands, including Maalox, Excedrin and Benefiber. Deutsch continues to handle advertising for Novartis’ Exelon Patch.