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A commercial for Novo Nordisk’s popular weight loss drug Wegovy was the third most viewed television ad in the country during the month of June.
The ad garnered nearly 2 billion household TV ad impressions and was only behind in viewership by ads from Burger King and Safelite AutoGlass.
Novo Nordisk, which also makes the diabetes medication Ozempic, spent about $42 million for the ad to air 6,271 times on national television from June 3 to June 25, the Wall Street Journal reported citing data from the ad tracking firm iSpot.tv.
The ad is part of a national campaign Novo Nordisk launched in June to highlight the heart health benefits of Wegovy. The campaign comes as the Danish giant has invested billions to boost production of the medication that has faced shortages for over a year.
The ad features a cover of the song “This is Me” from the movie musical “The Greatest Showman” and shows a diverse group of people providing testimonies on how the weekly injectable has worked for them.
The campaign signals a shift in Novo Nordisk’s marketing strategy to focus on Wegovy, which has the same active ingredient as its diabetes drug Ozempic.
In 2023, Novo Nordisk spent $187.4 milliion on ads for Ozempic. This past June, ads for Ozempic only aired 1,417 times.
The Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved use of Wegovy in March to include reducing heart risks for adults who are obese or overweight. The announcement came months after its maker Novo Nordisk announced results from a clinical trial that found the drug cut the risk of serious heart events by 20%.
Last week, Novo Nordisk announced plans to invest $4.1 billion to build a new manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina. Overall, the company plans to invest $6.8 billion in production this year.
Novo Nordisk previously restricted lower, starting doses of Wegovy to help with shortages. The company says it now sees an average of 25,000 new American patients start on the medication every week.