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When Novartis announced it was teaming up with the NFL last month, the company called it the first-ever corporate pharmaceutical partnership with the league. But it wasn’t exactly the only matchup between the industry and the professional football world.
The NFL has inked several deals with pharma companies, starting with a 2003 sponsorship agreement that co-promoted a Bayer and GSK drug that was under FDA review.
Yet, instead of marketing one drug, Novartis said this new partnership is “unprecedented” and a “first-in-category” because it aims to tap into football fans’ passion for the game so they make a commitment toward their own health through existing NFL initiatives.
“Our approach goes beyond a focus on a single product or therapeutics to emphasize long-term, proactive behaviors that drive improved health outcomes,” said Gail Horwood, U.S. chief marketing and customer experience officer for innovative medicines at Novartis.
It’s also part of Novartis’ broader ongoing strategy to experiment with marketing at live events. And the NFL’s reach is enormous — up to 70,000 spectators attend games while more than 17 million watch each TV broadcast, according to Horwood.
“We’ve seen that sports events have a significant impact especially in terms of driving viewers to seek out more information,” Horwood said. “Knowing that public awareness is a critical component of managing personal health, partnering with the NFL allows us to amplify important health messaging, at scale, and strengthen our connection with patients — ultimately empowering fans everywhere to make proactive health decisions.”
The partnership comes as the pharma industry braces for potential new advertising restrictions. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennnedy Jr. has proposed banning TV drug advertisements , and while questions remain over whether he has the authority to implement such a measure, doing so would deeply impact how pharma markets its products in the U.S. Between January and October 2024, pharma companies spent over $5 billion on TV ads, according to Ad Week.
Kennedy has long blasted pharma TV ads, noting that the U.S. is one of only two countries — the other is New Zealand — where it’s legal.
Kennedy’s not alone in seeking advertising reform. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., wants to require pharma companies to disclose prescription drug prices in advertisements through the Drug-price Transparency for Consumers Act, which he sponsored. But so far, neither Kennedy nor federal regulators have made an official move to ban pharma commercials.
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