While people are too busy discussing the ridiculous fight between Chris Rock and Will Smith, the real story at the Oscars was actually who sponsored the awards ceremony.
During the Oscars, comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being bald, which led to Will Smith coming up onto the stage, cussing at him, and slapping him across the face.
Following the ceremony, news outlet WLT commented that the shenanigans were a staged event.
After all, they are all Actors… What do you think after watching the footage?
Whether Smith’s smack was real or fake, the sponsors of the Oscars smacked the daylights out of the global population.
Check out who sponsored Hollywood’s big night:
"Pfizer and BioNtech are proud sponsors of the Oscars," is a thing I just saw on my TV lmfao pic.twitter.com/K2opYNmBTy
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 28, 2022
Now for a curious coincidence… Pfizer has a medication that is about to be approved to treat the exact condition that caused Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss.
Conspiracy.The FDA is about to approve the Pfizer alopecia drug which is going to be the 1st ever to be approved for the condition. Pfizer= Oscars sponsor. Jada = alopecia.Chris makes a joke that put alopecia on the spotlight. Will smashes Chris. Millions researching on alopecia. pic.twitter.com/tCVOayZLyH
— Dr Hughes (@TheRealPro7) March 29, 2022
Coincidence? https://t.co/QF34Va1au9 (sponsors of the Oscars)https://t.co/H8dvjAzDNW (clinical trial posted 24th February 2022)
How long until talk of alopecia is all in the news huh?
It's cool, Pfizer got you covered.#Oscars #ChrisRock #WillSmith #Staged #MarketingStunt pic.twitter.com/55DRmj9oA3
— U Mad? (@SaltyMcSaltson2) March 29, 2022
Fierce Pharma noted:
Oscar-winning actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock made the biggest headlines out of the Oscars Sunday night. But the sponsorship from Pfizer and COVID shot partner BioNTech was for the pharma marketing world a bigger moment.
The vaccine-making pair, which teamed up two years ago and produced the world’s biggest-selling product last year in Comirnaty, their COVID-19 shot, joined forces again to sponsor the biggest night in Hollywood.
“Pfizer and BioNTech are proud to support the Oscars, and we are heartened to see the film industry gather in person and alongside fans to celebrate the talent and artistry produced during the past year,” a Pfizer spokesperson told Fierce Pharma Marketing.
As noted in Pfizer’s documents, Alopecia Areata is listed as one of the potential side effects of the COVID-19 shot (though Smith contracted the hair loss disorder in 2018).
The timing couldn’t have been better for Pfizer since clinical trials for their Alopecia Areata treatment were updated on February 24, 2022.
This is a global Phase 2b/3 study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational study drug (called PF-06651600) in adults and adolescents (12 years and older) who have 50% or greater scalp hair loss. The study is placebo-controlled, meaning that some patients entering the study will not receive active study drug but will receive tablets with no active ingredients (a placebo). This is a dose-ranging study, investigating 5 different dosing regimens. It will be double-blinded, meaning that the sponsor, the study doctors, the staff, and the patients will not know whether a patient is on active study drug (or the dose) or placebo.
Last year, Pfizer made this announcement:
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced positive top-line results from the Phase 2b/3 ALLEGRO trial evaluating oral once-daily ritlecitinib in patients with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease driven by an immune attack on the hair follicles that causes hair loss on the scalp and can also affect the face and body.1,2 Ritlecitinib 50 mg and 30 mg achieved the primary efficacy endpoint of the study, namely the proportion of patients with less than or equal to 20 percent scalp hair loss after six months of treatment versus placebo.
“We are pleased by these positive results for ritlecitinib in patients with alopecia areata, a devastating and complex autoimmune disease for which there are currently no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency approved treatments,” said Michael Corbo, PhD, Chief Development Officer, Inflammation & Immunology, Pfizer Global Product Development. “We look forward to bringing this potential new treatment option to patients living with alopecia areata as soon as possible.”
The Phase 2b/3 ALLEGRO trial met the primary efficacy endpoint of improving scalp hair regrowth. All participants entered the study with at least 50 percent scalp hair loss due to alopecia areata, as measured by the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score. A statistically significantly greater proportion of patients who took ritlecitinib 30 mg or 50 mg once-daily, with or without a four-week initial treatment of 200 mg once-daily, had 20 percent or less scalp hair loss (an absolute SALT score ≤20) after 24 weeks of treatment compared with placebo. This was followed by a 24-week extension period, during which all participants initially randomized to receive ritlecitinib continued on the same regimen, while participants who received placebo during the initial 24 weeks advanced to one of two regimens: 200 mg for four weeks followed by 50 mg for 20 weeks, or 50 mg for 24 weeks. The study also included a 10 mg dosing arm, which was assessed for dose-ranging and was not tested for statistically significant efficacy compared to placebo.
The safety profile seen with ritlecitinib was consistent with previous studies. Overall, the percentage of patients with adverse events (AEs), serious AEs and discontinuing due to AEs was similar across all treatment groups. The most common AEs seen in the study were nasopharyngitis, headache and upper respiratory tract infection. There were no major adverse cardiac events (MACE), deaths or opportunistic infections in the trial. Eight patients who were treated with ritlecitinib developed mild to moderate herpes zoster (shingles). There was one case of pulmonary embolism in the ritlecitinib 50 mg group, which was reported to have occurred on Day 169. There were two malignancies (both breast cancers) reported in the ritlecitinib 50 mg group, which were reported to have occurred on Day 68 and Day 195. Both participants were discontinued from the study.
Indeed, the 2022 Oscars were a perfect stage for Pfizer to promote their product. While the American people continue to argue about Will Smith’s slap, Pfizer heads to the bank for another massive payout.
