By
Paul Cranston and Tomi Shobande 
Every month, CREATION.co’s tracking updates bring you the latest insights from the conversation of healthcare professionals (HCPs) across the globe discussing product launches. Discover which new drug approvals HCPs are talking about, what they think about them, and which online sources they are using to inform their opinions and conversations in CREATION.co’s latest tracking update.
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Throughout February 2022 we tracked the global conversations of 2,242 HCPs who posted 3,323 English-language Twitter posts about the launches and approvals of new products.
In February, HCPs continued to share their thoughts on Moderna’s Spikevax, which had been approved by the FDA at the end of the previous month. The other approvals which attracted HCPs attention included another monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 produced by Eli Lilly, an anti-obesity medication from Novo Nordisk, and Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s Jardiance, an SGLT2 inhibitor used to treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
After its FDA approval on 31 January, Moderna’s Spikevax continued to drive HCPs online conversation around product approvals in early February. HCPs continued to share the news that the FDA had changed the status of the COVID-19 vaccine from Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to full approval, and assured the public that it is the same vaccine as the EUA version, and is safe to be used.
Here comes #Spikevax — the wonderfully named @moderna_tx #COVID19 #vaccine is @US_FDA approved for 18 and older. In case you were wondering, it's the same exact vaccine as the EUA version. https://t.co/BSNn0QB7D5 #VaccinesWork pic.twitter.com/piuHRepmYu
— SkepticalRaptor (@skepticalraptor) February 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/Suncat4/status/1489102761748750336
Additionally, HCPs discussed the FDA’s authorisation of bebtelovimab, a monoclonal antibody manufactured by Eli Lilly for the treatment of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. There was a generally positive consensus for this treatment among HCPs, with one noting it for having an appropriate name for an approval occurring close to valentine’s day.
https://twitter.com/walidgellad/status/1492228194476470281
HCPs also shared the news that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended the drug Wegovy (semaglutide), produced by Novo Nordisk for people living with obesity. The drug, which can be issued via injection, and is designed to help those using it to reduce their weight was welcomed by HCPs, with some suggesting its approval signified a need for change in how health policy approaches obesity, specifically highlighting the ban on coverage of anti-obesity medications.
NICE Gives Wegovy Green Light To Treat Adult Obesity https://t.co/uymryuYOTu
— Almudena Castro Conde (@almucastro01) February 13, 2022
#Obesity is a chronic disease, and there are now FDA-approved medications; thus, policymakers should remove the prohibition on coverage for anti-obesity medications.
Further studies in the older adult population could help #CMS in their consideration of coverage for treatments.
— Anand Parekh, MD, MPH (@AParekhBPC) February 10, 2022
Another treatment that received a positive reception from HCPs in February was Jardiance (empagliflozin). The treatment, which is co-produced by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly was approved by the FDA on 24 February for use in patients with heart failure with a preserved ejection fracture (HFpEF). HCPs celebrated this approval and looked to push for inpatient initiation, alongside outpatient.
You love to see it!
FDA Approves Empagliflozin for Treatment of HFpEF | https://t.co/JkLDG03Nwe https://t.co/TlA97cN3mf
— Kyle Fischer, PharmD, MBA (@Kfischer_10) February 24, 2022
Empagliflozin is the first FDA- approved SGLT2i for treatment of HFpEF! #Flozinate
Let’s strive for inpatient initiation, not only outpatient! #tb to the #CardsJC discussing the #EMPEROR_PRESERVED Trial! https://t.co/BtaLc7dYeQ pic.twitter.com/WYaknIjjfS
— Ahmed Ghoneem, MD MSc (@a_h_ghoneem) February 25, 2022
Finally, several HCPs also mentioned the FDA’s approval of ViiV healthcare’s product Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine), for use every two months to treat HIV. HCPs called the approval “big news” and particularly highlighted it for only needing to be used once every two months instead of monthly.
BIG NEWS — ViiV Healthcare Announces US FDA Approval of Cabenuva (cabotegravir, rilpivirine) for Use Every Two Months, Expanding the Label of the First and Only Complete Long-Acting HIV Treatment | BioSpace https://t.co/ewxoywACcB #jobs
— Marya Viorst Gwadz, PhD (she/her) (@MVGWADZPHD) February 1, 2022
The first long-acting injectable HIV medication, Cabenuva, was just FDA approved for 2 month dosing (moving from monthly dosing)!
— Anthony Velasco 🌈 (@AnthonyTheNP) February 3, 2022
The three most shared links from HCPs discussing product launches in February were:
- An FDA article about the authorisation of bebtelovimab for the treatment of COVID-19
- A Children’s health defence article about the FDA losing a bid to delay the release of COVID-19 vaccine safety data
- An FDA article about the approval of Jardiance for a wider range of patients with heart failure
Each month, CREATION.co tracks the HCP conversation relating to new product launches.
You can keep up to date with this and a variety of other topics including virtual congress, healthcare changes since the pandemic, product development and therapy area specific insights within the Tracking section of CREATION Knowledge, or sign up to receive our monthly eJournal with all of our latest HCP insights.
To stay up to date, you can sign up to CREATION.co’s monthly eJournal.
Methodology
- Using CREATION Pinpoint® the English-language Twitter conversations of HCPs globally discussing new pharmaceutical product launches and drug approvals between 1 February and 28 February 2022 were analysed in order to discover which new product launches HCPs are discussing as well as #WhatHCPsThink.
- Mentions of drug approvals by the FDA, EMA, NICE, and CHMP were included in the data, as well as mentions of ‘drug approval’ by HCPs in their Twitter conversations.
- Between 1 February and 28 February 2022, there were 3,323 HCP mentions of new pharmaceutical product launches and drug approvals from 2,242 unique HCP authors from around the world.
