The Pfizer Super Bowl Commercial Explained: What They're Doing In The Fight Against Cancer

The 2024 Super Bowl had something for everyone. You had a strong match-up for the sports fans, a wild halftime show with Usher, and the best commercials $7 million can buy. Let's not forget Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, either. While pharmaceutical companies typically opt out of the pricey Super Bowl ad buys for specific drugs, Pfizer took a different approach by promoting its brand.

Using Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" as its theme song, the 60-second ad, called "Here's to Science," featured faces from old photos of scientists and busts of Hippocrates lip-syncing along to Freddie Mercury's iconic vocals. Pfizer highlighted its 175 years in existence and the importance of scientific advancement. Pfizer is known for the development of one of the first COVID-19 vaccines, but the ad included a slide that said, "Here's to the next fight." That fight is cancer, and Pfizer is "accelerating breakthrough cancer medicines that bring new hope to cancer patients everywhere."

Pfizer says its vision is to live in "a world where people with cancer live better and longer lives." To show its dedication to cancer research, 40% of its funds for research and development go to improving cancer therapy. In 2023, Pfizer's medicine to help treat prostate cancer was approved, as was an antibody that assists the immune system in people with blood cancer multiple myeloma. A clinical trial found a promising treatment for bladder cancer and with Pfizer's acquisition of cancer treatment company Seagen, the company seems likely to increase its clinical trials twofold.

Additionally, Pfizer has partnered with the American Cancer Society to raise awareness of early screenings for underrepresented communities. This multi-year partnership will open up more clinical trials for these communities while supporting their health outcomes. Pfizer also offers resources for cancer patients and caregivers, offering ways to stay active, improve mental health, share personal stories, and connect with financial support for treatment.

One out of every eight men will develop prostate cancer, and Pfizer has three approved medications to treat different prostate cancer forms. A new medicine that blocks prostate cancer cell protein is also in the works. Pfizer's 20-year fight with breast cancer includes five medicines, and it's looking into medicines for specific types of breast cancer. Combined with immunotherapy, Pfizer's treatment for advanced bladder cancer can improve the health of patients. Two bladder cancer treatments are being developed for people in earlier stages of this disease.

The third most common cancer in the United States is colorectal cancer. Pfizer offers two medicines to treat some types of metastatic colorectal cancers, and an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to target this type of cancer is undergoing research. Pfizer already developed an ADC as an alternative treatment for cervical cancer. A Phase 3 trial is underway for an ADC for lung cancer — the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.