The data: Pharma brands’ TV ads were 95% more effective during regular-season NFL games than during primetime broadcast and cable in 2025-2026, the largest lift of any category in EDO’s analysis of every national ad aired during the season.

EDO measures effectiveness based on immediate consumer behaviors such as brand searches and website visits, adjusted for audience size and ad duration.

Galderma’s Nemluvio, which treats atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis, led all brands across categories, generating 1,683% more engagement than the average NFL ad, per EDO. Nemluvio launched its first direct-to-consumer campaign in April 2025. Galderma cited the D2C campaign as a contributor to the brand’s strong US start.

Why it matters: Pharma has made NFL advertising a meaningful part of its national TV strategy. Pharma drug brands spent $656 million on NFL ads last season, per iSpot data provided to EMARKETER, up 41% from the previous season. Live NFL games accounted for 19.2% of pharma and OTC brands’ spending during the season, per iSpot.

Those buys deliver engagement and audience scale. The lift increased in the postseason: Pharma and OTC ads were 248% more effective than the category’s primetime benchmark. Novo Nordisk’s Super Bowl ad for weight loss brand Wegovy stood out, ranking No. 10 across all Super Bowl ads and generating 3.7 times as much engagement as the game’s median spot.

The NFL’s audience mix also helps pharma reach younger viewers than its typical TV buys, which often overindex for older viewers, EDO SVP Laura Grover told EMARKETER.

Implications for pharma marketers: As the 2026-2027 season begins, NFL advertising can serve different goals depending on a drug’s lifecycle.

For newer brands still building awareness, standout creative can help them break through. Nemluvio (No. 1 on EDO’s pharma NFL ad effectiveness list), Eli Lilly’s atopic dermatitis drug Ebglyss (No. 3), and its weight loss drug Zepbound (No. 7) all entered the 2025 season less than two years after receiving FDA approval.

For established drugs, NFL ads can sustain strong consumer response. Johnson & Johnson’s Caplyta, approved in 2019, ran more ads than any other pharma brand during the season and landed at No. 4 on EDO’s pharma list. J&J’s Tremfya, approved in 2017, and AbbVie’s Skyrizi, approved in 2019, returned to EDO’s list of most effective pharma brands this season at Nos. 5 and 9, respectively.

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