• by Les Luchter , October 8, 2025

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) patients, whose symptoms often include boil-like abscesses in armpits, groins, buttocks and beneath the breasts, took to New York’s Times Square on Oct. 4 in in a revealing activation from nonprofit advocacy group HS Connect, supported by pharma firms UCB, Novartis and Incyte.

The “Find Us: From Hidden to Heard’ campaign included a fashion runway on which 13 HS patients began walking in gowns emblazoned with messages like "We’re not dirty" and "We’re not contagious” -- before removing them midwalk to show off their undie-clad bodies. 

The fashion show occurred against a backdrop of a 24-hour three-screen billboard buy on and adjacent to One Times Square, known for its New Year’s Eve ball drop.

The centerpiece was a 15-second looping spot with graphic photos and the following lines: “You tell lies about the blood stains and smell,” “You can’t move without searing pain,” “You smile and hide the shame” and “You avoid intimacy and white sheets.” This was followed by “You think you’re the only one until you look up and see this. We see you, we get you, we got you.” At the bottom of the screen: the URL, HSConnect.org, and a QR code .

“Times Square is the world’s most visible stage, and we are using it to give HS patients the platform they deserve,” explained Brindley Brooks, founder and CEO of HS Connect, in a statement. “By combining live storytelling, cultural spectacle, and the global visibility of the One Times Square screens, we’re rewriting the narrative about HS.”

One participant explained how walking in the show made her feel "seen, heard and validated."

The day’s activities also included the display of a Guinness World Record-winning largest bandage ball, crafted by UCB’s MakeHStory disease awareness campaign, which the pharma firm said represents “the number of bandages HS patients go through daily.”

Agencies involved in the“ Find Us: From Hidden to Heard” campaign included Oxcart Assembly for creative, Locals for experiential, and Inspiria Outdoor Advertising for the billboard buy.

In addition to its MakeHStory campaign, UCB recently received FDA approval to sell Bimzelx for treatment of HS.

Novartis, which has marketed Cosentyx for HS since 2023, has run its own disease awareness campaign titled “Shine a Light on HS.”

Incyte is the latest entrant vying to treat the estimated 3.3 million Americans with HS. With a drug currently in phase 3 clinical trials, the firm last month launched a disease awareness campaign titled “HS Truths.”