Media coverage, advertising impact public interest in Vuity eye drops

Press coverage and advertising were associated with a significant increase in online search traffic for keywords related to 1.25% pilocarpine (Vuity) in the United States, potentially indicating that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising plays a role in public interest of certain therapies, according to a poster presented at ARVO 2023.

The retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study analyzed data from January 1, 2004, to June 14, 2022, using relative search volume (RSV) databases generated by Google Trends for keywords related to 1.25% pilocarpine. The study found that from January 2004 through October 2021, the mean RSV for “vuity”, “presbyopia”, “pilocarpine”, and “pilocarpine presbyopia” were 0.005%, 61.30%, 41.97%, and 1.44%, respectively.

However, after the FDA approved 1.25% pilocarpine drops in October 2021, and commercial advertising began in March 2022, there was a significant increase in RSV for all related keywords. The mean RSV from November 2021 through February 2022 increased to 21.75% for “vuity,” 89.75% for “presbyopia,” 55.75% for “pilocarpine,” and 37.50% for “pilocarpine presbyopia.” These numbers further increased from March 2022 through June 2022, with average RSV increasing to 74.00% for “vuity,” 91.67% for “presbyopia,” 86.67% for “pilocarpine,” and 61.00% for “pilocarpine presbyopia.”

The findings emphasize the importance of having a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes both press coverage and advertising campaigns to generate interest in new medications and treatments. Further research is needed to determine how increased interest translates into actual medication sales and usage.

Reference
Tijerina JD, et al. Increased Public Interest in Pilocarpine Drops for Presbyopia following Regulatory Approval and Direct-to-Consumer Ad Campaigns: A Google Trends Analysis. Presented at: ARVO 2023