02.

GLAXOSMITHKLINES MARKETING STRATEGY FOR REQUIP: A CASE

STUDY IN PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
a.
Critically analyse GSKs marketing strategy for Requip as a drug to Restless Leg
Syndrome. What do you think led to success of the brand?
Suggested answer
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations
in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move when at rest in an effort to relieve these feelings.
Some researchers estimated that RLS affected as many as 12 million Americans. However,
others estimated a much higher occurrence because RLS is thought to be under diagnosed and, in
some cases, misdiagnosed. Some people with RLS would not seek medical attention, believing
that they would not be taken seriously, that their symptoms were too mild, or that their condition
was not treatable. Some physicians wrongly attributed the symptoms to nervousness, insomnia,
stress, arthritis, muscle cramps, or aging.
In 2003, GlaxoSmithKline launched a campaign to promote awareness about restless legs
syndrome, beginning with press releases about presentations at the American Academy of
Neurology meeting describing the early trial results of using Ropinirole for the treatment of
restless legs. Two months later, GlaxoSmithKline issued a new press release announcing that
restless legs syndrome is keeping Americans awake at night. In 2005, the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approved Requip for the treatment of restless legs syndrome. Since then,
the restless legs campaign has developed into a multimillion dollar international effort to push
restless legs syndrome into the consciousness of doctors and consumers alike.
Marketing strategy
GSK began running awareness campaign of RLS between 2003 and 2005. Glaxo began its blitz
by advertising the disorder to doctors in medical journals months before the company had
regulatory approval to begin selling Requip for RLS. Then, it sent specialists to discuss the
disease with general practitioners, who usually see RLS sufferers first. It sponsored seminars and
continuing education in desirable locations.
The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation in the U.S. and Ekbom Support Group in UK similarly
started promoting the medication and raising awareness. And GSK set up a website, called
restlesslegs.com as a resource for people with RLS. It revamped the landing page of
www.requip.com to include prescribing information such as educational information about RLS
and a checklist of symptoms. GSK also used key opinion leaders (KOLs), such as sleep
specialists, to raise awareness about RLS and the scope for Requip among general practitioners
(GPs). GSK had created a market for RLS by aggressively marketing the disease through sales
force visits to doctors, advertisements in medical magazine, and DTC advertising.
GSK believed that sales representatives could play an important role in providing up-to-date
information to doctors on the Requip and its benefits to patients. After gaining approval for
marketing the drug as a treatment for RLS, the brand experienced strong growth. In the process,

the company achieved an unprecedented growth rate by Requip which it was expected to
maintain over a long time.
GSK's marketing efforts were widely appreciated by marketing experts, doctors and patient
advocacy groups. Experts were particularly impressed by GSK's initial un-branded ad campaigns
that strove to increase awareness about the disease. Some doctors and patient advocates praised
GSK for raising the profile of a disorder, which they considered under-diagnosed and undertreated.
Awareness of the syndrome rose within months of Glaxo's first TV ads. It had about 2,600
visitors a day to its web site before the Glaxo ad campaign. Two months later, about 4,500
people a day were visiting. Even this WSJ article left something important out here. Requip
became one of the fastest growing brands in GSKs product portfolio, since its RLS indication
approval in May 2005. The Requip campaign delivered results. The number of weekly new
prescriptions in the US was four times since launch. The sales of Requip in 2005 were 156
million, a growth of 34% over 2004. The sales of Requip in 2006 were 268 million, a growth of
75% over 2005.
Success of the brand
GlaxoSmithKline brought out the unique task of generating awareness among Healthcare
professionals for Requip, a first-in-market treatment for a new disease category for Restless Legs
Syndrome (RLS). This campaign captured attention by defining RLS through its hallmark sign,
the irresistible urge to move. The first ads were about symptoms and didn't mention Requip, that
combats RLS. Instead, Glaxo focused on turning RLS into a household name. But in the process,
Glaxo also identified a market and began introducing Americans to a problem many people
didn't realize they had, or had never mentioned to their physicians.
The Requip campaign's disease-awareness component established the marketplace for the brand,
calling attention to RLS and its symptoms in a powerful way and enabling physicians to make a
differential diagnosis. The campaign elements delivered on its educational messages providing
the solution with a Requip branding element informing doctors they could relieve the urge to
move with the first and only FDA approved treatment for moderate to severe RLS.
Conclusion
As a healthcare community, GSKs marketing initiatives aim was to remain leader of new
medicines from cost of treatments, proper diagnosis and knowledge about disease and
prospective options with effective and ethical marketing initiatives. GSK focused its energies to
make a significant difference for the under-diagnosed, under-treated patient populations. By
making RLS a public health issue and concentrating efforts on the communities at greatest risk,
the company placed Requip as the market leader in this market.