• by Les Luchter , March 10, 2025

"Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic.”

Singer Michael Trotter Jr of The War and Treaty, chef Franklin Becker of “Top Chef Masters,” and a beauty salon owner identified only as Maria sing the praises of the diabetes medication as part of Novo Nordisk’s new “My Ozempic Era” campaign.

The effort follows the FDA’s January approval of Ozempic to treat chronic kidney disease in adults with type 2 diabetes, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson tells Marketing Daily. The drug had originally been approved in 2017 to lower blood sugar in type 2 patients, then in 2020 to reduce their risk of major cardiovascular events, and in 2021 to help them with chronic weight management. It has not been approved for weight loss in non-diabetes patients, with Novo Nordisk offering Wegovy, a similar semaglutide GLP-1, for that purpose.

“This was an opportune time to evolve advertising campaigns and discussion around Ozempic,” the spokesperson explains.

The national “My Ozempic Era” campaign, slated to run at least through year’s end, includes a dedicated website (MyOzempicEra.com) whose opening headline reads, “More than 7 million adults with type 2 diabetes have written their story with Ozempicalong with diet and exercise. Now, you could write yours.”

“We are leveraging both earned and controlled media to share our ambassadors’ powerful stories and drive home information on Ozempic among the patient community,” the spokesperson says, with the aim of driving them “to ask their health care professional about Ozempic.”

The campaign includes TV advertising, social and digital media, streaming audio and in-office materials.  

Beyond a general audience of all adults living with type 2 diabetes, Novo Nordisk is zeroing in on Blacks and Hispanics, with Spanish-language content coming soon. “These are two populations in which type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease are more prevalent,” the spokesperson explains. “Additionally, both Hispanic and Black communities experience a higher rate of cardiovascular disease compared to other racial groups.”

On the Wegovy side, meanwhile, Novo Nordisk last week entered the D2C space with NovoCare Pharmacy, which offers a month’s supply for $499 for patients not covered by insurance for the medication.

Novo Nordisk’s move comes more than a year after its competitor in the weight loss space, Eli Lilly, launched LillyDirect a year ago to sell its GLP-1drug Zepbound and other medications directly to consumers. Lilly is now offering Zepbound for as low as $349 a month through the site.