UDG Healthcare buys Galliard and Nyxeon for £13m
pharmafile | July 8, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications | Galliard and Nyxeon, udg healthcare
UDG Healthcare has acquired the specialist healthcare and scientific public relations businesses Galliard and Nyxeon.
The deal has been secured at the £13 million mark plus net assets, payable over the next three years.
In a statement the firm says that adding healthcare and scientific public relations to UDG’s global healthcare communications business (known as Ashfield Healthcare Communications) would help create a ‘powerful force in healthcare marketing’.
Galliard and Nyxeon are headquartered in London and employ 33 people who provide services to pharma companies, healthcare-related organisations and charities.
The specialist PR services offered by the agencies include: media relations, issues management, scientific and medical education and corporate and employee communications.
Galliard was created in 2000 by Marika Freris (previously at Hill & Knowlton) and Rosemary Hennings (previously at The Wellcome Trust Limited): Roland Carreras subsequently joined Galliard from private healthcare firm BUPA in 2002.
Carreras, now a managing partner of Galliard, says: “We are delighted to be joining Ashfield Healthcare Communications (a division of UDG Healthcare), which is becoming a powerhouse in healthcare sales and marketing.
“The deal sets the scene for the next stage in our growth and we look forward to working with Ashfield’s strong stable of medical education agencies including InforMed, Watermeadow and Knowledgepoint360.”
Rupert Ashe, chief executive of D5 Capital, which helped negotiate the deal, adds: “Galliard is a top healthcare communications business that will thrive in a growing force such as UDG Healthcare, which is a FTSE-250, pure-play healthcare services group. We are delighted to have helped create the platform for Galliard’s & Nyxeon’s future growth.”
Ben Adams
