On June 13, 2023, Lady Gaga posted an image carousel on her Instagram. It showed her advertising Nurtec, a migraine medication. Starting with “Ever since childhood, I’ve dealt with migraine pain,” the “Bad Romance” singer candidly endorsed the drug, expressing her wish to have discovered it earlier and announcing her partnership with Nurtec ODT. Interestingly, this endorsement came just three months after Nurtec was recalled for failure to childproof their packaging.
In addition to the social media ad, Gaga is also included in a TV commercial for the company. Yet, despite the TV spot and her Instagram ad (including her testimonial), fans were still livid. Influencer Oli London commented under the carousel, “Is taking that Pfizer money really worth it?” While another user dubbed the promo a disappointment, and a third exclaimed: “Little Monsters will remember this day forever.”
Gaga’s Little Monsters may have been referring to the litany of legal issues Nurtec’s parent company, Pfizer, has faced through the years. The pharmaceutical giant has faced allegations of profiting off of life-saving medication in the AIDS crisis – and then doing the same during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the thousands of comments, very few supported the singer, save for a few who mentioned she may use the medication for a serious medical condition she lives with.
