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Lessons In Marketing: How To Sell A Disease To Big Pharma
Seeing Incyte’s “See What’s Possible” campaign — complete with larger-than-life vitiligo models at the AAD meeting in San Diego — was a milestone for our community.
For years, vitiligo flew below the healthcare industry’s radar. Today, it’s front-and-center: the first FDA-approved therapy is on the market, and more than 40 companies are investing in vitiligo R&D.
That momentum didn’t appear by chance; it grew from steady advocacy, data-driven storytelling, and a lot of patient and caregiver voices refusing to be invisible.
It’s proof that even a small non-profit like VRF can help shift perceptions and priorities across an entire field. We’re even considering a white paper on the journey, with the working title “How to Bring an Overlooked Disease to Pharma’s Attention.”
If you’d like to contribute insights or client-side perspectives, let us know!
— Yan Valle
CEO, Vitiligo Research Foundation | Author, A No-Nonsense Guide to Vitiligo
AAD, 2024
AAD, 2025
FAQOther Questions
- Pyrostegia venusta as a folk medicine for vitiligo?
Pyrostegia venusta, also known as “flame vine” or “cipó-de-são-joão,” is a neotropical evergreen vine native to Brazil. It thrives in fields, coastal areas, forest edges, and ro...
- Is vitiligo contagious?
Vitiligo is not contagious. This means it cannot be spread from person to person through physical contact, sharing personal items, or any other means of transmission. Vitiligo i...
- Polypodium leucotomos as an adjunct treatment for vitiligo?
The tropical fern Polypodium leucotomos (also known as Polypodium aureum) and its relative Polypodium decumanumhave shown potential benefits for managing vitiligo and other auto...
Though it is not always easy to treat vitiligo, there is much to be gained by clearly understanding the diagnosis, the future implications, treatment options and their outcomes.
Many people deal with vitiligo while remaining in the public eye, maintaining a positive outlook, and having a successful career.
Copyright (C) Bodolóczki JúliaBy taking a little time to fill in the anonymous questionnaire, you can help researchers better understand and fight vitiligo.