DTC ad campaigns significantly increased public interest in presbyopia eye drops

ByMichela Cimberle

Fact checked byGina Brockenbrough, MA

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — Press coverage after approval and direct-to-consumer advertising significantly raised public interest in pilocarpine drops for presbyopia, according to a poster presented at the Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium.

Vuity (1.25% pilocarpine HCI ophthalmic solution, Allergan/AbbVie) is a prescription eye drop for presbyopia that was approved by the FDA in October 2021.

Graphic distinguishing meeting news — Press coverage after approval and direct-to-consumer advertising significantly raised public interest in pilocarpine drops for presbyopia, according to a poster presented at the Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium.

Using Google Trends analysis of internet search traffic, Johathan D. Tijerina, MD, and colleagues calculated the changes in monthly relative search volumes for the keywords “presbyopia,” “Vuity,” “pilocarpine” and “pilocarpine presbyopia” from the pre-approval/pre-advertisement period (January 2004 to October 2021) to the months immediately following FDA approval/pre-advertisement (November 2021 to February 2022) and commercial advertisement (March 2022 to June 2022).

Mean relative search volume for “Vuity” increased from 0.005% in the pre-approval/pre-advertisement period to 21.75% in the post-approval/pre-advertisement period and to 74% in the post-approval/post-advertisement period. Mean relative search volume for “presbyopia” increased from 61.3% in the pre-approval/pre-advertisement period to 89.75% following approval and to 91.67% following commercial advertisement. Mean relative search volume increase at these timepoints was 41.97%, 55.75% and 86.67%, respectively, for “pilocarpine” and 7.67%, 37.50% and 61%, respectively, for “pilocarpine presbyopia.”

“Google Trends may represent a convenient tool with powerful analytical insights into rapidly emerging patterns in public interest,” the authors concluded.

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Source:

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: Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium. Aug. 24-27, 2023; Marco Island, Florida.

Disclosures: Tijerina reports no relevant financial disclosures.

Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium

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DTC ad campaigns significantly increased public interest in presbyopia eye drops

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