Cyndi Lauper showcases backstage psoriasis woes in Novartis’ new Cosentyx spot – FiercePharma

Cyndi Lauper is back to star in another round of Novartis psoriasis marketing.

The '80s pop music icon, who in 2015 partnered with the Swiss pharma giant and the National Psoriasis Foundation on a disease-awareness push, appears with two other real-life patients in Novartis latest Cosentyx spot.

RELATED:Novartis goes '80s with Cyndi Lauper-led psoriasis campaign

It was tough getting out there on stage, she narrates, as the camera shows her in her dressing room, trying to disguise her psoriasis with spray makeupand failing. The commercial weaves Laupers story with those of two other patients, shown struggling withunwanted attention aspeople around them stare at the red, flaky skin patches caused by the disease.

But the video spot takes a triumphant turn after Lauper declares that I found something that worked and keeps on working.

Never give up, she urges viewers, adding, clear skin can last as she rocks out on stage and then walks into a crowd of adoring fans.

RELATED:Novartis bolsters its home-turf advantage in psoriasis with Cosentyx DTC push

The new work is part of Novartis See Me campaign, which the company launched last year to play well with this patient base and further grow the brand, as then-pharma chief David Epstein told investors on an early 2016 conference call.

The new spot comes in the face of some new competition. Since the Basel-based drugmaker rolled out its first DTC effort in psoriasis, Eli Lillys Taltz, Valeants Siliq and, most recently, Johnson & Johnsons Tremfya have arrived on the next-gen psoriasis scene. Those rivals didn't stop Cosentyx from cracking the blockbuster barrier, though; it racked up $1.13 billion worldwide in 2016.

And asJohnson & Johnson execs recently reassured their own investors, theres still plenty of market share to go around. We believe it's only about 25% to 30% of the patients in that category [who] are actually on some of the newer agents, CEO Alex Gorsky said. So that in and of itselfrepresents a significant opportunity.

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Cyndi Lauper showcases backstage psoriasis woes in Novartis' new Cosentyx spot - FiercePharma