As Seen on TV, an occasional column, brings you the inside story behind TV drug ads.
If the orange-and-white pills sold as Lyrica for nerve pain were their own standalone drug company, they’d be the industry’s sixth biggest advertiser.
Pfizer spent an estimated $343 million-plus last year advertising the blockbuster drug to patients with fibromyalgia and diabetic nerve pain. Only Bristol-Myers Squibb, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, and Allergan spent more on their entire ad budgets.
About the Author Reprints
Once we get FDA approval to do product placement advertising on your favorite TV shows nary a half hour will go by when you won’t be exposed to our “beautiful landscapes”.