Merck launches first TV advertising for cruising Keytruda in lung cancer

Merck’s immuno-oncology drug Keytruda is finally on TV. 
The first TV ad began airing this week, featuring one patient and her “Tru Story” of lung cancer survival. The ad highlights the importance of PD-L1 biomarkers in Keytruda treatment. 

From Keytruda's launch in 2015, Merck has taken a decidedly different approach to marketing than has its key competitor, Opdivo-maker Bristol-Myers Squibb. Merck has, until now, mostly pushed its checkpoint inhibitor through professional journal advertising targeting healthcare professionals, while BMS moved quickly after Opdivo's rollout to the mass market with a big TV campaign.

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 In just a few days, Merck has spent $1.2 million on TV ads, while Bristol-Myers Squibb has spent more than $140 million on two Opdivo TV ads since launching the campaign in late September 2015, according to realtime TV tracker iSpot.tv. BMS has also faced a backlash for the TV ads, spurred by a New York Times op-ed—penned by a man whose wife died of lung cancer after failing to respond to the therapy—that labeled Opdivo TV advertising "misleading and exploitive." 
That piece stirred up controversy and hundreds of comments.(Más)