Monsanto Subsidiary to Begin Television Ads for Arthritis Painkiller
May 3, 1999
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri via NewsEdge Corporation : May 1--
Sales of Celebrex, now the fastest-selling new prescription drug, should get another boost starting Wednesday. G.D. Searle & Co. is launching a television advertising campaign aimed at arthritis sufferers.
The Celebrex ad created by Leo Burnett Co. premieres in prime time when CBS presents "The 34th Academy of Country Music Awards." Joseph Papa, president of U.S. operations for Searle, said the television campaign is being launched now because May is arthritis education month.
The consumer campaign will be ongoing. In an interview Friday, Papa declined to disclose the budget for Celebrex consumer advertising. He said Searle will spend the most of its promotional dollar educating physicians, pharmacists and other medical professionals about the benefits of Celebrex, a Cox-2 inhibitor that reduces pain and inflammation caused by rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
In the past, prescription drug makers concentrated on promoting their products to medical professions. Direct to consumer advertising is a relatively recent tactic, one that Searle has used with some success in marketing its leading prescription sleep aid, Ambien.
Searle, a subsidiary of Monsanto, began selling Celebrex in February.
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