Fishawack makes US acquisition
pharmafile | February 4, 2010 | News story | Medical Communications | Nexus Communications, fishawack
Cheshire-based healthcare agency Fishawack Communications has bought US outfit Nexus Communications.
The company says this acquisition is part of a strategic programme that will see Fishawack become the leading independent healthcare coms player over the next three years.
Based near Philadelphia, Nexus describes itself as a global healthcare comms agency focusing on “thought leader development, publication planning and education”.
The agencies have previously worked together on projects, and Nexus, set up seven years ago, will now trade as “Nexus, part of the Fishawack group of companies”.
The integration of the two businesses is now underway – although the companies insist this process will be phased to ensure continuity for clients.
Its founder Mike Caso will continue to run Nexus. “We’ve already been working together for a long time and the deal will cause little disruption,” he stated.
Caso’s track record includes establishing healthcare and med ed divisions at various comms groups and his experience includes cardiology, neurology and oncology.
“This is the logical next step for both businesses,” says Fishawack founder Oliver Dennis. “More and more, clients expect global medical communications agencies to have a presence on both sides of the Atlantic.”
He says the “formalisation” of the link between the two firms “is what our clients wanted to see”.
The move would create greater consistency of service, facilitate the sharing of resources, and provide greater organisational strength, Dennis concluded.
Fishawack currently has offices in Knutsford and Abingdon, and its clients include Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Wyeth, Astellas, Bayer Healthcare and Daiichi-Sankyo.
Fishawack has coms, med ed and medical writing, digital and opinion leader work in its portfolio of services.
Last October Fishawack appointed Gail Flockhart as managing director following a restructure of its board of directors.
Previously chief executive of Caudex Medical, she has worked at Merck Sharp & Dohme, Allergan and various agencies, including overseeing McCann Healthcare’s medical comms agencies in the US.
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