• by Les Luchter , April 30, 2025

Myasthenia gravis is termed a rare disease, but several pharma companies are battling for the market of more than 70,000 Americans with the neurological disorder.

AstraZeneca and Argenx have run commercials on behalf of their respective treatments, Utlomiris and Vyvgart, and UCB has now joined the fray with its first consumer campaign for its year-old Zilbrysq. Messaging for all three brands is geared towards showing how patients, whose daily activities are limited by weakened muscles and fatigue, can get back in the fray after using the treatments.

Titled “Imagine Your Zillions,” the Zilbrysq campaign features a :60 connected TV spot, digital ads with imagery from the spot, in-office materials, and email marketing.  

“Generalized myasthenia gravis can cause you to miss out on a zillion things,” begins the commercial’s female voiceover. “With Zilbrysq, you can count yourself in,” she continues, as the spot shows people engaged in such activities as playing with dogs, smelling roses, and browsing a book sale.

Zilbrysq currently differs from competitors in that patients can self-administer it, although a self-administered version of Vyvgart was approved by the FDA just two weeks ago.

Also, “while some treatments can help ease symptoms, they may not address the underlying causes,” Kate Madden-Jones, consumer marketing experience lead for UCB’s Rare Disease Organization, tells Marketing Daily.

About 80%-90% of patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) have anti-AChR antibodies, and they’re the ones being targeted in UCB’s campaign. 

“Most commonly, gMG impacts women 30-50 and men 60+,” says Madden-Jones.

UCB’s campaign, which started last week, will run through 2025, with the Eversana Intouch agency handling both creative and media.

In addition to Zilbrysq, which is self-administered once daily, UCB also offers  Rystiggo, which is administered once a week by healthcare providers.

Johnson & Johnson also has a drug in the pipeline for myasthenia gravis.