Endo Pharmaceuticals’ latest awareness campaign for Peyronie’s disease continues with the company’s humorously irreverent tone. The “Ask About the Curve” effort partners with well-known urologist Aaron Spitz, who the campaign notes is America’s favorite penis doctor, and offers online resources such as a “Know Your Penis” quiz.
The digital and public relations campaign, created by Ogilvy, also includes a man-on-the-street video that asks men if they know what Peyronie’s disease is (they don’t) and their visceral reactions to finding out that it’s medical condition with scar tissue forming in the penis and causing pronounced curvature and sometimes pain. Images used in the campaign show bent beer and ketchup bottles to draw attention to the curve.
“When talking about anything about male genitals, there is so much stigma attached—it’s just the way our society is. And so I found that the best way to reach men and to broach these topics and also to help guys get their guard down is with a little humor or irreverence,” said Spitz, who uses humor to convey messages about men’s sexual health in “The Penis Book.”
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Endo markets Xiaflex to treat Peyronie’s disease as well as a connective tissue disorder that affects hands called Dupuytren’s contracture. The company has a portfolio of disease awareness work for both diseases, including a recent TV ad campaign that uses produce to mimic the penile curve common in Peyronie’s, as well as a campaign encouraging men who are concerned about being “curved below the belt” to talk to a doctor.
Sales of Xiaflex have been robust, with recent 1st quarter results at $68.5 million, an increase of 20% over the same period last year which Endo attributed to “underlying volume growth in both the Peyronie’s Disease and Dupuytren’s Contracture indications.” Total 2018 sales growth for Xiaflex was 24% over 2017, Endo reported.
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Spitz, who has been interviewed about men’s sexual health issues on TV shows including “The Doctors” and “Dr. Phil,” is hoping that the campaign can make a broader impact on men’s sexual health.
“Women’s health and their responsibility for it is really emphasized from the time girls become teenagers and on but men are really not given that same messaging. After high school physicals, a guy won’t show up or even know to show up in a doctor’s office until decades later when something is wrong. So just as women have been encouraged to do monthly self-exams, we’re asking guys to get in touch with their anatomy if you will, and start paying attention on a regular basis,” he said.
