Virgo wins Risperdal UK account

pharmafile | June 11, 2010 | News story | Medical Communications Janssen, Open Road, Risperdal, Virgo 

Janssen-Cilag has called in Virgo Health and Open Road to help boost the fortunes of its injectable antipsychotic drug Risperdal Consta in the UK.

Health PR agency Virgo is to handle communications while lobbying firm Open Road will be responsible for the public affairs aspect of the brief.

“We recognise the significant role that communications and government affairs can play in terms of a company’s reputation and profile,” said Mark Lloyd Davies, head of government affairs and communications at Janssen-Cilag.

He recently instituted a comms review at the company, which resulted in a number of accounts opening up.

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Virgo director Meredith Guest will lead the account, reporting to Lloyd Davies. She says: “There are unique challenges associated with communications around mental health with expectations around treatment and staying well constantly evolving.”

The change from Labour to the new coalition government suggests that a new approach to public affairs work around the drug is sensible.

“The recent general election, and the continuing challenges to the NHS budget, could spark significant changes in mental health policy over the course of the new Parliament,” said Open Road chief executive Graham McMillan.

The agency’s job will be to navigate the new political waters and to “engage with stakeholders from across the spectrum on the issues connected with severe mental illness”.

Risperdal Consta is the sustained release formation of Risperdal (risperidone), which was first launched in the UK in 1993.

Janssen-Cilag has extended its Risperdal franchise with Consta and another version called Risperdal Quicklet, other hopes are pinned on its more recent once-daily schizophrenia treatment Invega (paliperidone).

This is an active metabolite of risperidone, which works by fully blocking serotonin receptors and partially blocking D2 dopamine receptors.

Adam Hill

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