Galliard wins GSK and Pfizer accounts
pharmafile | November 3, 2005 | News story | Medical Communications |Â Â Â
Galliard Healthcare Communications has won the global PR account for GlaxoSmithKline's Avodart and been appointed by Pfizer to handle UK work on hypertension treatment Revatio.
Avodart (dutasteride) treats benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate, and GSK is investigating its use in preventing prostate cancer.
Galliard faced a three-way pitch for the account against Ketchum and Edelman, but not incumbent agency Fleishman-Hillard – which was prevented from re-pitching by a conflict of interest.
Galliard's chairman Marika Freris said: "The main reasons that we were picked were that our strategy was in-line with GSKs thinking, they said we had a very creative approach and that they very much liked the team."
Avodart will be the first GSK product-specific account for Galliard, but the agency has previously worked for the company on BPH and prostate cancer on a medical education project.
The company's brief for the global campaign includes Avodart's BPH indication and the planned risk-reduction indication for prostate cancer.
Galliard has substantial experience of handling global accounts, which make up to 40-50% of the company's business, and works on this type of business for AstraZeneca and Roche.
Galliard has also been appointed to handle UK duties for Pfizer's soon to be launched orphan hypertension drug Revatio with a PR and medical education brief.
Revatio has been approved in the US to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and is recommended for approval in the EU. It contains the same active ingredient (sildenafil) as Pfizer's blockbuster erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra.
Pre-launch work on the account has already started and Freris said Galliard would focus strongly on raising attention of pulmonary hypertension.
Galliard has worked with Pfizer before on Lustral for depression, schizophrenia drug Zeldox and their corporate mental health programme.
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