TEPEZZA (teprotumumab-trbw)
Horizon Therapeutics and Area 23, an IPG Health Company
On January 21, 2020, TEPEZZA (teprotumumab-trbw) became the first and only medicine approved by the FDA for the treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), providing a much-needed treatment for Americans impacted by this rare condition. TED can cause symptoms such as eye pain, changes in facial appearance (such as bulging or misaligned eyes), severe vision impairment (double vision, blurry vision), and other debilitating issues. TEPEZZA is the only medicine that blocks the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) to treat TED at the source of the disease, not just the symptoms. Never before have TED patients and doctors had a medicine that could do this.
Physicians who historically treated TED patients—oculoplastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, and endocrinologists—had limited experience with infused biologic therapies and would require significant education. But just five weeks after TEPEZZA was FDA approved, the sales team was pulled from the field due to COVID-19. Horizon immediately shifted to virtual outreach and helping existing patients find access to clinical sites to receive their TEPEZZA infusions, even as cities and states were locking down. With ophthalmologists temporarily closing offices or limiting hours, it was essential to educate patients about this new treatment to help appropriate candidates advocate for treatment.
Horizon and Area 23, an IPG Health Company, centered the 2021 branded campaign launch around the story of a real TED patient and TEPEZZA user, Jeanne. Many patients, like Jeanne, hide behind sunglasses, day and night, indoors and out, as a way to hide their symptoms and manage their diminished sense of self. One component of the consumer marketing strategy was a national TV campaign. In the :60 commercial “Sunglasses,” the very object that had become a symbol of TED for many patients was used to tell the story of Jeanne’s successful treatment, and how looking and feeling like her old self let her express who she truly is.
Just 3.5 months after the branded consumer launch, unaided patient brand awareness increased by 44%. More importantly, TEPEZZA impacted patients’ lives. As one patient said after her infusions with TEPEZZA (individual results may vary), “My eye had receded 5 millimeters, I had no double vision, and I couldn’t have been happier or pleased that I had been able to receive this. I was driving OK again. I had no problems at work. My journey with this [TED] was a painful one, but the ending is great. The ending is beautiful.”
