LIBTAYO (cemiplimab-rwlc) Patient Marketing Team
Regeneron and Sanofi Genzyme
Agency Partner: Snow Companies
Team Members:
- Sandra Graham-Mason, Director, KOL Management, LIBTAYO Marketing, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- Michael Tonzola, Associate Director, U.S. LIBTAYO Marketing, Sanofi Genzyme
Patients and their caregivers must deal with many challenges following a dire diagnosis. This is especially true when facing the rare, most advanced cases of any disease. While emotions and questions are plentiful, there are often few places to look for guidance. On a mission to help these patients and those who care about them, Regeneron and Sanofi Genzyme built an alliance to promote LIBTAYO (cemiplimab-rwlc), bringing answers to those with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), a type of skin cancer that has spread or cannot be cured by surgery or radiation. This alliance has championed a patient-focused approach throughout their go-to-market strategy.
The team knew that treatment options were very few prior to the approval of LIBTAYO and that this diagnosis can be a scary and uncertain time for patients, so they prioritized making useful resources that are simple to find. They acknowledged the importance of highlighting the patient voice through all marketing channels—digital, print, and social media. Both Sandra Graham-Mason and Michael Tonzola have applied their vast experience in pharma and marketing to devise strategies that involve patients and caregivers to provide insights into what it is like to treat their disease with LIBTAYO.
Spreading Patient Stories
One of the first steps the team took was to partner with Snow Companies on a Patient Ambassador program, which has an inaugural class of four patients and three caregivers. These LIBTAYO Patient Ambassador program participants have already started to share their stories across patient and provider communities through a variety of touchpoints and tactics. The participants will also get an opportunity to share their stories at clinical conferences, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which was virtual this year. The team is always looking for new and innovative ways to pioneer the oncology landscape.
The team may have just started this initiative, but they are already accumulating the wins necessary to build major traction in the patient community. It’s a testament to their foresight and dedication to a patient-driven campaign to rely on real patients to be the face of their brand. A clear indicator their strategy is working is that LIBTAYO’s website is already undergoing an overhaul to align with this strategy. The brand is even launching a Facebook presence to directly engage with more patients through more channels. This team is clearly playing to win for patients.
