Ari Maizel, Associate Vice President, Psychiatry Marketing, AbbVie
As the lead for the Psychiatry portfolio at Allergan, which was officially acquired by AbbVie in May 2020, Ari Maizel helped Vraylar reach all-time highs for volume and sales—virtually doubling revenue and exceeding launch expectations. While Vraylar was originally approved for the treatment of adults with Bipolar I manic and mixed episodes, it received a new indication for bipolar depression in May 2019. To help this underserved patient community, Ari and his team developed several innovative initiatives to improve disease state and brand awareness.
They launched a National Roadshow for Promotional Medical Education with the world’s foremost expert in psychopharmacology, Dr. Stephen Stahl. During these highly attended events across the country, Dr. Stahl educated thousands of psychiatry and primary care health professionals about the neurobiology associated with Bipolar I disorder and introduced Vraylar and its unique and differentiated claim as the only branded agent approved to treat the full spectrum of Bipolar I disorder. Even after the pandemic hit, these programs continued to generate significant interest around the country and the team came up with a virtual model to deliver this content to hundreds of clinicians.
The team also developed the highly effective direct-to-consumer “Vraylar Ups and Downs” multichannel campaign, which depicted the impact of manic, mixed, and depressive moods associated with Bipolar I. The campaign drove brand awareness among patients to an all-time high and helped Vraylar become the fastest growing atypical antipsychotic brand throughout 2019.
