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Pfizer Hopes Campaign Will Boost Exubera Sales

Pfizer is launching a massive ad campaign that some observers call a Hail Mary pass to jump-start sales of Exubera, the first inhalable insulin product for people with diabetes. Pfizer thought the product would be a $2 billion-a-year blockbuster, but quarterly sales announced last week were an anemic $4 million.

Pfizer has not disclosed how much it's spending on the Exubera campaign, but it's likely in the tens of millions of dollars. The ads are already ubiquitous on TV, in magazines, and on Web sites, such as dLife.com.

Early buzz is less than glowing. One online blogger observes that the ad doesn't adequately depict how large the device looks when a patient is actually using it. Folded out, it's about the size of a can of tennis balls, so some people might be embarrassed to use it in public. And the ad doesn't play up what was supposed to be Exubera's biggest selling point: its needle-free delivery.

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