Sepracor will launch a $60 million dollar marketing and advertising campaign for its new sleeping pill Lunesta in the coming week.
Ads for the drug will tout Lunesta’s advantages, Sepracor chief financial officer David Southwell, told the Boston Globe without discussing specifics of the campaign.
MM&M‘s calls to Sepracor regarding further details went unreturned.
Lunesta’s arrival is expected to drastically shake-up the $3.5 billion sleeping pill market currently dominated by Sanofi-Aventis’ Ambien and King Pharmaceuticals’ Sonata.
Sepracor said last week that more than 40,000 pharmacies had placed advance orders for Lunesta.
Lunesta could have an edge in the market since the FDA will let Sepracor claim the drug keeps consumers asleep longer than its competitors. Additionally, the drug’s label won’t caution against long-term use, which may give doctors greater prescribing confidence.
Sepracor’s sales force, which includes approximately 1,250 sales professionals, will promote Lunesta to primary care doctors, psychiatrists and sleep specialists.
The FDA approved the NDA for Lunesta in December.