Voodoo Dolls
The challenge
01
Internal medicine doctors treat the bulk of diabetes patients, but consider Diabetic retinopathy (DR), or diabetes-related blindness, to be an ophthalmologist’s problem. The result? A disjointed treatment journey that impedes early, holistic diabetes care.
The solution
02
Enter Lipanthyl®, a daily pill that can delay DR progression. We broke through the noise of doctors’ demanding schedules by reframing the narrative and making Lipanthyl® unforgettable. By promoting alternative treatment: injection in the eye.
Creating a visibly brighter future
We created Lucio, a doll inspired by traditional Mexican puppets, and invited doctors during face-to-face in-clinic visits to perform an eye injection, the procedure used in late-stage care. Using children’s play slime, we gave Lucio’s eyeball the perfect, unsettling texture to make penetrating Lucio’s eye with a needle feel authentic and unforgettable. By turning a routine sales visit into a hands-on, emotionally charged experience, we transformed a distant complication into an immediate reality.
The impact
03
Slowing DR’s progression with a doll
To date, Lucio has met with over 100 doctors, convincing them to act earlier and slow DR’s progression – with 90% of the doctors surveyed stating intent to prescribe Lipanthyl® and leading to a notable increase in patients treated in Mexico. The initiative started expanding to other cities in April 2026 and plans are being discussed for structured visits to selected hospitals and training centers to engage the next generation of doctors. Turns out sticking needles into Voodoo dolls work after all.
