Introducing a new drug is difficult. Introducing a new behavior during an emergency is harder. That is what makes ARS Pharmaceuticals’ neffy an interesting case study in behavioral patient marketing. The FDA approved neffy (epinephrine nasal spray) in 2024 as the first nasal spray for emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Unlike familiar epinephrine auto-injectors, it delivers epinephrine through the nose. For marketers, that change creates an unusual challenge: How do you make an unfamiliar action feel familiar enough to perform when seconds matter?
Table of Contents
- Why a new format requires a new behavior
- Turning patient education into behavioral rehearsal
- Why caregiver marketing is part of patient marketing
- Designing confidence before an emergency
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why a New Treatment Format Requires a New Behavior
For years, patients, parents, teachers, and caregivers have learned a simple association: severe allergic reaction means injectable epinephrine. Therefore, introducing a nasal option is not simply a matter of communicating another product benefit. It requires people to update a deeply established mental model.
That distinction matters when pharma marketers are trying to influence patient behavior. Traditional campaigns often focus on awareness, comprehension, and intent. However, emergency medicine adds another requirement: the desired action must remain accessible under stress.
A person experiencing or witnessing anaphylaxis does not have time to study instructions or compare alternatives. Instead, that person must recognize the situation and act according to the treatment plan provided by a healthcare professional.
The FDA noted when approving neffy that some people, particularly children, may delay or avoid treatment because of fear of injections. That observation highlights an important behavioral issue. A treatment can be available and understood while a practical or emotional barrier still affects action.
For marketers, the lesson extends beyond allergy treatment. Information alone does not necessarily change behavior. Awareness is important, but brands introducing a new treatment format also need to consider the habits, concerns, and expectations that influence what people actually do.
Turning Patient Education Into Behavioral Rehearsal
If a treatment changes the expected action, education needs to show more than what the product is. It should help patients and caregivers understand what using it looks like.
That makes demonstration especially valuable. Videos, illustrated instructions, clinician conversations, training materials, and scenario-based content can turn an abstract treatment concept into a recognizable sequence.
For example, a caregiver may intellectually understand that epinephrine can now be delivered through a nasal spray. However, seeing the administration process can help build familiarity with the prescribed treatment plan before an emergency occurs.
This is where patient marketing strategy can borrow from behavioral science. Repeated exposure reduces novelty. Clear cues reduce cognitive effort. Meanwhile, demonstrations can help people visualize an action before they need to perform it.
Importantly, marketers should not confuse familiarity with medical instruction. Patient-facing materials still need to align with FDA-approved labeling and encourage appropriate conversations with healthcare professionals. The goal is not to improvise emergency guidance. Rather, the goal is to make approved instructions easier to recognize, remember, and follow.
ARS Pharmaceuticals has also used experience-based initiatives in its commercialization strategy. For example, the company reported enrolling allergists in an Experience Program designed to enable use of neffy during in-clinic food challenges. That approach illustrates a broader marketing principle: sometimes experiencing a new format can communicate more than another page of claims.
Why Caregiver Marketing Is Part of Patient Marketing
Anaphylaxis also exposes a weakness in patient journey models that focus only on the patient. In an emergency, the person taking action may be a parent, teacher, school nurse, coach, relative, or another caregiver.
Therefore, patient marketers should consider the full network of people who may need to act on the patient’s behalf.
Each audience may have different concerns. Parents may want confidence that another caregiver understands the treatment plan. School staff may need clear procedures and training. Older children may need age-appropriate education that builds confidence without creating unnecessary fear.
ARS Pharmaceuticals’ neffyinSchools program offers one example of extending familiarity into a setting where allergic emergencies may occur. The program was created to provide eligible K-12 schools with neffy for emergency use, subject to applicable requirements.
For marketers, the larger point is significant. Adoption does not happen only when a prescription is written. It also depends on whether the people surrounding a patient understand their roles.
Consequently, journey mapping should identify who may recognize the emergency, who has access to the prescribed medication, and who may need educational support. This shifts the campaign from individual awareness toward an ecosystem of readiness.
Designing Confidence Before the Emergency
Healthcare marketing often asks patients to make choices over days or weeks. Emergency treatment is different. The behavioral objective is to prepare for a moment everyone hopes never arrives.
As a result, confidence needs to be built in advance.
Behavioral design can help by reducing unnecessary complexity around the desired action. Consistent language, memorable visual cues, demonstrations, caregiver education, and easy access to approved instructions can all support familiarity.
Moreover, marketers should consider the moments that happen long before an emergency. The prescription conversation is one. Picking up or receiving medication is another. Preparing for school, travel, restaurants, sports, or time away from home can also become valuable educational moments.
This approach aligns with a broader shift toward behavioral targeting in pharma, where communication responds to meaningful actions and context instead of relying only on static patient profiles.
Access matters as well. ARS Pharmaceuticals has introduced programs that combine virtual provider access, prescription support, and eligible patient assistance. Removing friction after awareness is important because every extra step creates another opportunity for intent to disappear.
Ultimately, the strongest campaigns may be those that measure more than impressions and clicks. Useful behavioral signals could include engagement with demonstration content, completion of educational resources, caregiver participation, prescription initiation, access-program engagement, and other compliant measures that indicate movement toward preparedness.
Conclusion
neffy provides pharma marketers with a useful lesson about innovation: changing the product does not automatically change the behavior around it.
When a therapy introduces a new administration format, marketers must consider the habits, expectations, emotions, and social networks already surrounding the category. A behavior-focused patient marketing strategy can help bridge that gap by making unfamiliar actions easier to understand and more familiar before they are needed.
Education creates knowledge. Demonstration can build familiarity. Caregiver communication expands readiness beyond the individual patient. Meanwhile, thoughtful behavioral design can reduce friction between knowing what to do and taking appropriate action.
For pharma brands introducing new delivery systems, the strategic question is therefore bigger than “How do we explain this product?” The better question may be: “What behavior needs to become familiar for this innovation to work in the real world?”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is behavioral patient marketing?
Behavioral patient marketing applies insights about real patient actions, barriers, habits, motivations, and decision contexts to communication strategy. It focuses on helping people move from awareness toward appropriate action rather than simply increasing exposure.
Why is neffy relevant to pharma marketers?
neffy introduces a nasal administration option into an emergency category long associated with injectable epinephrine. That makes it a useful example of the communication challenges that arise when product innovation also requires patients and caregivers to learn a different behavior.
Why are demonstrations important when introducing a new drug format?
Demonstrations can make an unfamiliar administration method easier to visualize and remember. However, branded educational materials should remain consistent with approved labeling and appropriate regulatory requirements.
How should marketers communicate with caregivers?
Marketers should recognize caregivers as part of the patient journey and provide clear, audience-appropriate education. Communication should reinforce the treatment plan established with the patient’s healthcare professional rather than replace medical guidance.
What can other pharma brands learn from this example?
Brands launching new delivery systems should plan for behavioral adoption alongside product awareness. Education, demonstration, contextual communication, access support, and caregiver engagement can help make a new treatment format more familiar.
This content is not medical advice. For any health issues, always consult a healthcare professional. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services.
