AURINIA Pharmaceuticals
NEW PLAYER DEBUT
Background
As the review and potential subsequent FDA approval of their oral medicine LUPKYNIS® to treat adults with active lupus nephritis approached, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals anticipated an uphill battle, as they were a smaller biopharma entering the commercial market for the first time, where there was already an established pharmaceutical company with an approved competitive treatment.
Commercial
- Corporate branding
- Digital analytics and optimization
- Messaging development
- Product approval/Commercial support
- Science communications
- Social media/Digital marketing
Strategy
To maximize the FDA milestone with media pre- and post-approval, we teased out Aurinia and LUPKYNIS’ differentiated messages, elevated important areas for education and developed tailored media plans to deliver those points in the most impactful way. At approval, this effort was grounded in the development of multimedia resources that included detailed fact sheets and video soundbites from the company’s leadership, a lupus nephritis patient and advocate and KOLs providing context to the significance of the approval for the patient community. These resources were made available to interested media to support the development of their coverage. Following product approval, we conducted a regional disease awareness virtual media tour including a lupus nephritis patient, advocate and KOL, and strategically targeted the tour in areas with higher concentrations of people living with lupus nephritis. Additionally, we educated, inspired and excited Aurinia employees around the company’s first approved product and future opportunities for the company.
Outcomes
Coverage of the news at FDA approval and launch significantly outpaced the competition and appeared in major industry, patient and regional media. The key messages were consistently highlighted throughout the coverage, including the benefits of LUPKYNIS over the competitive treatment in terms of specific endpoints and Aurinia’s commercial readiness and commitment to patients.
