Changes in Internet Search Behavior After a Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Campaign for Faricimab-svoa

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Health Economics
• Digital Marketing Analytics

Background:

• Faricimab-svoa (Vabysmo) is a novel treatment for retinal diseases.
• Understanding patient and public awareness is crucial for treatment adoption.
• Direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing and regulatory approval influence public awareness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify changes in Google search volume following FDA approval and DTC campaign launch for faricimab-svoa.
• To compare the impact of DTC marketing versus FDA approval on public search interest for Vabysmo and related conditions.

Main Methods:

• Collected Google Trends data from December 2021 to June 2023.
• Analyzed search volumes for terms: 'wet AMD', 'diabetic macular edema', 'Vabysmo', and 'faricimab-svoa'.
• Standardized data to calculate weekly relative search volumes and percentage changes.

Main Results:

• DTC campaign correlated with significant increases in search volume for 'Vabysmo' (2.5% to 18.0%) and 'wet AMD' (3.0% to 77.3%).
• Search interest for 'diabetic macular edema' and 'faricimab-svoa' did not significantly change.
• FDA approval led to a significant, but smaller, increase in 'Vabysmo' search volume (0.3% to 2.8%).

Conclusions:

• The DTC advertising campaign for faricimab-svoa dramatically boosted Google searches for 'Vabysmo' and 'wet AMD'.
• The marketing campaign had a substantially greater impact on public search behavior than FDA approval.
• DTC marketing effectively raised awareness for Vabysmo and wet AMD, but not diabetic macular edema.