Novo Nordisk turns 1970s pop hit 'Magic' into Ozempic jingle in first TV ad

Novo Nordisk launched its first direct-to-consumer TV campaign for the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic in the week of July 30, 2018, with the first ad debuting that Monday and setting a 1970s pop hit to new words ^[1].

The 90-second commercial uses Pilot's "Magic" and swaps the original refrain — "Oh, oh, oh, it's magic" — for "Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic." The jingle repeats several times during the ad ^[1].

In the spot, patients exclaim "Oh!" at facts about the drug, including that the average weight loss seen in a recent study was up to 12 pounds and that the drug bears no increased risk of major cardiovascular events, according to the commercial ^[1]. Ozempic, the brand name for semaglutide, was approved in December 2017 as a once-weekly injection for type 2 diabetes, and Novo Nordisk was also working on a daily pill version ^[1].

Novo Nordisk had big commercial expectations. Analysts believed the drug was headed for blockbuster sales because of its weight loss and cardiovascular findings, its potential in China and strong doctor feedback, and the market intelligence firm Evaluate estimated Ozempic sales of more than $2.2 billion by 2022 ^[1]. At the time, Ozempic was competing with Eli Lilly's Trulicity, which held about 40% of the market, and with Novo Nordisk's own Victoza, a shorter-acting form of the same drug ^[1]. Novo Nordisk was counting on Ozempic to take over from the daily-dosed Victoza as Lilly's Trulicity and other longer-acting GLP-1 drugs pursued the same market ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

A jingle is advertising, not evidence, and the line can blur when a brand name becomes a catchphrase. The weight loss and heart statements in the commercial came from a study the ad cited; the size, design and length of that study are not described in the reporting on the launch ^[1]. At that point, Ozempic's approval covered type 2 diabetes, not weight loss ^[1].

For patients, a memorable tune can make a drug's name familiar without settling whether that drug is the right treatment for a particular person. Dose, side effects, interactions, cost and insurance coverage are not addressed in a 90-second ad. It has not been reported how long the campaign ran or how much Novo Nordisk spent on it.

What was expected at the time

Novo Nordisk was developing an oral, daily version of semaglutide, the molecule in Ozempic ^[1]. Evaluate's figure of more than $2.2 billion in sales by 2022 was a projection made in 2018, not a reported result ^[1]. Whether the "Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic" campaign stayed on the air after its 2018 launch has not been reported.