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Sharp-eyed viewers of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 likely saw the first advertisement run during a Super Bowl by Astellas Pharma US, whose United States headquarters is in Northbrook, north of Willow Road and west of I-294.

Shown after the coin toss during the "Prekick Show" on Fox Broadcasting Company's broadcast, the 30-second ad, called "Heat on the Street," ran in between a commercial for a new "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie and an ad for Intuit TurboTax.

In the lighthearted Astellas ad, a "reporter" - the Heat on the Street - asks women what they know about VMS. After hearing their incorrect guesses as to what VMS stands for, the reporter reveals it means vasomotor symptoms, or hot flashes due to menopause.

The ad was "part of an omnichannel educational initiative to provide information to women impacted by VMS and offer resources at WhatsVMS.com," according to a representative of Astellas.

Its goal also was to help those women feel acknowledged and empowered to have informed conversations with their health care providers, the representative added, noting nearly half of Super Bowl viewers are women.

The 30-second ad cost $7 million. Most purchasers of Super Bowl ads then also had to commit to a "match spend." For Astellas, that meant an additional $7 million would be spent toward national Fox advertising.

Astellas' U.S. net sales in fiscal year 2021 were $4.8 billion, its website said. Globally, Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. had fiscal 2021 net sales of $11.6 billion.