Genentech has launched the “Life Doesn’t Wait” campaign to mark World Hemophilia Day, dialing up its focus on patient stories ahead of the expected intensification of competition in the hemophilia A market.
The campaign marks a shift in how the Roche unit presents its hemophilia A blockbuster drug, Hemlibra, to patients. Visitors to the product website now see an image of Ian, a child who has been taking the factor VIII-mimicking drug since 2020, leaping to catch an American football as his mom and Hemlibra ambassador Veronica watches on. Text over the website’s hero image says “Life Doesn’t Wait.”
Genentech’s previous Hemlibra website focused on clinical evidence supporting the drug. The first thing visitors saw was the text “proven and trusted by the hemophilia A community for 8 years and counting” over a close-up of a woman smiling as she holds her child.
A change to the call-to-action button on the hero image puts a fine point on the shift in focus. Previously, the button encouraged visitors to click to “see the data” and linked to a page of clinical trial results. As part of the new campaign, Genentech changed the text to “see more stories.” Clicking the button takes visitors to a page featuring a video about life on Hemlibra and profiles of people, including Veronica.
The video and profiles predate the “Life Doesn’t Wait” campaign but were previously only accessible by clicking the patient stories tab on the Hemlibra website. The updated website design puts patient stories, not clinical data, at the forefront.
Genentech’s campaign comes weeks after marketing and communications company VML Health urged drugmakers to present therapeutic value in terms of lives fully lived. Discussing cancer, VML Health said pharma communications teams should go beyond life extension data by presenting stories and evidence that capture patients’ lives. Genentech’s call-to-action button changes align with VML Health’s advice.
The new campaign supports a drug that generated (PDF) 4.8 billion Swiss francs ($6.1 billion) and grew 11% last year. Novo Nordisk filed for FDA approval of a rival bispecific last year, starting a countdown to the potential arrival of a direct competitor to Hemlibra. Roche is developing its own successor, with a phase 3 trial pitting next-generation candidate NXT007 against Hemlibra set to start this month.
